To Make Her Love Me
by dancerlittle
Summary: Troy and Gabriella are now together. Follow them as they go through the every day life of high schoolers. There's some surprises along the way. Can the two of them get through it all? Now Completed!
1. Chapter 1

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**3pm**

"Does she really love me?" I asked my best friend as he gave me a look.

"Dude, Troy get a hold of yourself. Of course she loves you! She's constantly staring at you and giving you the sly looks. Go up to her and ask her out!" Chad yelled at me while we were in basketball practice.

"How should I ask her out?" I asked Chad as he gave me a look of disbelief.

"Troy you've asked a girl out before. Just use your charm and she'll fall for it." Chad told me as I gave him a look.

"She no ordinary girl. I've got to do something special for Gabi." I told him as he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever dude. You decide what to do. You're going to wow her, whatever you decide to do." Chad said as we got back to practice.

**6pm**

"Woah! Troy slow down!" My dad yelled at me as I ate dinner quickly.

"Can't dad. I've got to get to Gabriella's. I've got to ask her something." I told dad as he laughed.

"Are you going to finally ask the girl out?" My dad asked as I gave him a grin.

"Leave him alone Jack. He's a grown boy." My mom, Dana, told my dad.

"Troy's been beating around the bush. I'm just glad he's finally asking her out. She likes you, you know that Troy?" My dad asked.

"Yeah dad. I know. I'm going to ask her out tonight." I told my parents as they traded smiles.

"How are you going to ask her out?" My dad asked as my mom hit his arm.

"Jack you're embarrassing the poor boy. Leave him be." My mom told him as I shot her a look of thanks.

"I don't know how I am going to ask her out. I'll figure it out on the way over there." I told them.

"Ok honey. Be careful and have fun!" My mom told me.

"Dana, our son is going to ask a girl out and you tell him to be careful." My dad teased my mom.

"He needs to be careful going over there." My mom told him back.

"Ok before you two start fighting, I'm going to go over there." I told them putting my plate in the sink.

"Be home by 10. You have school tomorrow." My mom told me.

"Good luck Troy." My dad told me as I walked out the door.

The entire way over to her house, I was in constant debate with myself. I didn't know how to ask her out. We have been hanging out after school most days but I didn't know how to ask her out. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of her house. I walked to the back and quickly climbed up on her balcony. I saw her lying on her bed talking on the phone. I started to sing which caught her attention quite quickly.

_I've seen what you can do  
I've seen you make miracles and hopeless dreams come true  
You've made the heavens and the stars   
Everything, come on how hard  
Could it be, To make her love me? _

I quickly looked up and saw tears in Gabi's eyes. She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Are you asking what I think you're asking?" Gabriella asked me as I smiled.

"What do you think I'm asking?" I asked her smiling.

"I think you're asking me to love you?" She asked as I kissed her in response.

"I think you are right. Gabriella Montez, will you be my girlfriend?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Yes Troy Bolton, I will be your girlfriend." She told me as we kissed again.

"So now what?" I asked as we both laid on her bed.

"Well now when we go into school tomorrow we'll be holding hands and letting everyone decided for themselves whether or not we are a couple." Gabi told me.

"Oh. It's going to be all over school tomorrow morning before 5th period. You know that right?" I asked her.

"Yup and you know your best friend can't keep a secret, so it will be all over the school by the time 3rd period rolls around." Gabi told me laughing. I just looked at her.

"Troy! You're staring. What are you thinking right now?" Gabi asked me as I smiled.

"Right now I'm thinking how much I love your laugh, your sense of humor, and how much I love you!" I told her.

"If you make me cry, you're a dead boy. Understand?" Gabi asked me as I smiled.

"I hope to make you cry a lot while we are dating." I told her.

"Why? I don't look good when I cry." Gabi told me.

"So I get to be the one that comforts you when you cry. I want to be the one that you run to whether you had a good day or a bad day. I want to be the one you tell all your secrets to. I want to learn everything about you Gabriella Montez." I told her as she started to cry.

"Well I would say you are successful with the whole crying thing. You're the sweetest boyfriend ever! And you will be the one I run to and the one I will tell everything too." Gabi told me as we laced our fingers together.

I knew from that moment on we would be inseparable. I love her and finally she loved me back. __


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the feedback. Like most of you requested, I'm continuing the story. Feedback would be most appreciated and I would love ideas. . . Now on to the Story!

**6:15 am **

I rolled over after hearing the ring of my phone. _Who_ _would be calling at this hour,_ I though to myself.

I found my phone on the table next to my bed. I picked it up and almost immediately a smile came to my face.

"You do realize it is 6:15 in the morning, correct?" I asked the person on the other end of the phone.

"Yea but I've been up since 5 working out. I just wanted to wake my girlfriend up and be the first to wish her good morning." Troy's voice answered back.

"Aww thanks but I don't have to be up for another 30 minutes." I answered back.

"Oh. I thought all high school students got up at 5:00 in the morning." He told me as I laughed.

"In your dreams. Now why did you call me at 6:15 in the morning? You interrupted a very important dream I was having." I told him.

"Hm . . . I'm going to be asking about this dream a little bit later but I wanted to know if I could walk you to school this morning?" He asked shyly.

"Of course. Come here about 7 and we'll go together." I told him as I got up and walked to my balcony.

"Ok. I'll see you then. I love you, Gabriella." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I love you too and I'll see you then." I told him as we both hung up.

**6:55 am**

I paced back and forth nervously waiting for Troy to come to the house to get me. My mom was laughing at me.

"Gabi chill. He's going to be here and you don't want him to see you like this." My mom told me.

"I know. But I'm nervous about what the kids at school are going to say." I told her.

"You be the best Gabriella and that's all I care about. Don't worry about those kids. You've got Troy and nobody is going to take him away from you." Mom told me as someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it while you calm down a little more." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Troy, good morning. Come on in. She's in the kitchen." My mom told Troy as she let him in.

"Hey you! What's happening at 7 this fine, beautiful morning?" Troy asked as I laughed.

"You're crazy. You seem to be in a good mood." I told him laughing.

"I'm only crazy for you babe. And I am in a great mood this morning. You ready to go?" Troy asked as I smiled.

"Yeah just let me run upstairs and grab my bag and then we can go." I told him as I quickly ran upstairs.

I grabbed my bag and headed back downstairs. I heard my mom and Troy talking in the kitchen.

"Troy she's nervous about what the kids at school are going to say. Just try calming her down a little bit before you guys get to school." Mom told Troy.

"Ok Mrs. Montez. I'm kind of nervous too so I know how she feels. But we'll get through this together!" Troy said I as entered the kitchen.

"You ready Troy?" I asked as he gave me a small kiss on my lips.

"If you're ready then I am babe!" He said as we grabbed hands and linked our fingers together.

"Bye mom. I'll see you tonight after school." I told her as we walked out the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the feedback! I love opening my email and seeing all the feedback. Onto the story!

"So a little birdie told me that a certain someone is nervous. Is that true?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Yeah it's true. I just finally got people to like me and get over the fact that I'm a science geek and now this." I told him.

"Hey listen to me." Troy said lifting my chin up with his fingers.

"You're my science geek now and who cares what others think. You are the only one who has me and I'm so deeply in love with you that I don't care what others think." Troy told me as I smiled.

"You always know that right thing to say when I'm in a bad mood. How do you do that?" I asked him smiling.

"It's a natural habit I learned from my parents." He told me grinning.

"Oh. What did your parents say when you went home last night?" I asked him.

"Um. . . I just went up to my room and faked tiredness. I was up before either of them this morning so I haven't talked to them. What did your mom say?" Troy asked me.

"She pretty much knows the two of us are going out. You kissed me in front of her this morning or don't you remember?" I teased him.

"I just wanted to kiss my beautiful, sweet, and smart girlfriend good morning." He told me as he kissed my hand.

"Compliments will get you everywhere." I told him as he laughed.

"Did I just get a truck load of brownie points?" He asked as I saw the school nearing up ahead.

"I'll get back to you on that later on in the day. What class do you have first?" I asked him.

"Math with Chad. That should be interesting. What about you?" Troy asked as I glanced down at our still laced hands.

"Chemistry with Taylor, which is who I was talking to last night when you started to sing to me. She's going to demand the reason I hung up on her." I told him laughing.

"Oh good luck with that. That's going to be tons of fun for you." Troy said as we walked into the school.

We continued to walk down the hallway on our way to our lockers. Our group of friends stood in front of our lockers. I unhooked my fingers from Troy's and walked up to my locker.

"Oh hey Gabi and Troy. What are you two up to?" Taylor asked us as we both smiled.

"Nothing much. We ran into each other outside of school and decided to walk in together." Troy told her as we both grinned.

"Something is going on and I'm bound and determined to find out what it is. You two are way to slap happy this morning." Chad told the two of us.

"Good luck with that Chad. You're going to need it." I told him as we all spilt off to go to our homerooms.

Just before we headed down the hall, I saw Troy's dad heading our way. I hit Troy and nodded towards his dad.

"Troy, Gabriella good morning. May I have a word with you Troy?" His dad asked as Troy shook his head.

"I'll see you for 2nd period Troy. And I'll see you later Mr. Bolton." I told him as he smiled at me.

"Bye Gabriella. See you later." Coach Bolton said as I headed down the hallway with Taylor.

"Ok you have to totally dish. Why did you hang up on me last night?" Taylor asked as I smiled.

"Troy climbed the balcony and started singing and last night the two of us are now official boyfriend and girlfriend." I told her grinning.

"That's why the two of you were so slap happy in my boyfriend's words. Ahh I'm so happy for the two of you." Taylor told me as we walked into the classroom.

"Keep it quiet. We just want to keep it quiet for a while." I told her.

"Well you know if Chad finds out, then there's no use in keeping it quiet. He'll tell the whole school." Taylor told me as I nodded and as the teacher started calling roll.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"So what did daddy dearest want?" Chad asked me as soon as I entered the classroom.

"He had some questions about the workout we are doing today." I told him as he smiled.

"Sure like I'm going to believe that. So moving on to why you were so slap happy this morning? Care to tell your best friend that juicy piece of information?" Chad asked me as I thought about Gabriella.

"You can't let this get out. Promise me Chad you will not tell the whole school." I told him as he became serious.

"Dude, if you need me to be quiet I will totally do it. Now spill." Chad whispered to me.

"As of last night, Gabi and I are officially dating." I told him as his eyes went wide.

"Finally you asked her dude. I was wondering if Gabi was going to have to ask you to be her boyfriend." Chad told me.

"Yea yea. I climbed up to her balcony and sang to her. The bad part was that she was on the phone with your girlfriend." I told him smiling.

"Boys would you like to share your conversation with the rest of the class?" Mr. Stevens asked the two of us.

"No sir. We're paying attention." I told the teacher as he turned back to his lesson plans.

"Good no more conversation." Stevens told us as he wrote a problem up on the white board.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

As soon as the bell rang, I was down waiting for Gabi to come out of her classroom. I grabbed her hand as we walked down to our next class. I heard the voices of gossip and just kept walking down the hall knowing that I had managed to snag one of the cutest girls in school.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Keep it up with the feedback. I love it! I OWN NOTHING!**

"Troy! What is going on in your head?" Gabi asked me as we walked down the hallway.

"Huh? I just thinking about you and how every one of those girls is jealous!" I told her grinning.

"Oh yeah. We're just the act of jealously today aren't we?" Gabi asked me as I gave her a look.

"Sure what ever you say my love." I told her as I gently swung our linked hands back and forth.

"Hey Troy I've got something to ask you." Gabi said as I gave her a look for her to continue.

"What was the name of the song that you sang to me last night?" Gabi asked as I blushed.

"You're going to be surprised but it was a Rascal Flatts song." I told her as she faked a look of shock.

"Big basketball man listens to country? Wow I never thought I would see the day!" Gabi told me as I laughed.

"I do listen to country and love it. You should listen to it sometime." I told her as she nodded her head.

We continued to walk until I suddenly turned to go up to my secret garden. I led Gabi to the bench where we both sat down.

"Hey Troy, can I ask you something?" Gabi asked unsure of what I would say to her.

"You, my love, may say anything you want." I told her as I kissed her lips.

"What did your dad want to talk to you for?" She asked visibly nervous.

"He asked me to invite you over to our house either tonight or tomorrow night for dinner. He and my mom would like to get to know you." I told her looking into her eyes.

"Oh. Troy I'm super nervous to meet your family." Gabi told me as I grinned.

"Gabriella they are not that bad. Plus I have someone I want you to meet." I told her as she smiled.

"Oh you do, do you?" Gabi asked me as I kissed her cheek.

"Yeah I do. She's younger than us but she's fun." I told her as she grinned.

Gabi didn't get to answer me because the bell rang for our next period. We both ran down the stairs and managed to get to our classes on time.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"So where did you and Troy disappear to during free period?" Taylor asked me as I grinned.

"We went up to the Biology Club's garden. We had to talk." I told her as she grinned.

"You two talk? Yea right. You probably went up there to make out." Taylor told me.

"Did someone just say make out? Who's making out?" Kelsi asked the two of us.

"Yeah I said make out. Troy and Gabriella are now officially a couple." Taylor told Kelsi as she smiled.

"Good I'm glad you two are finally together. We were thinking about taking drastic measures." Kelsi told me.

"Wait! You guys were trying to think of something to get Troy and I together?" I asked the two of them shocked.

"Yeah. The whole school could see you two obviously had crushes on each other. We just wanted to push you guys in the right direction." Taylor told me.

"All right but now we're together so now you can put your plan in the vault for the next couple." I told them.

"Well now we're thinking we need to get Jason together with someone but whom?" Taylor asked as both mine and Taylor's eyes landed on Kelsi.

"Here we go for round two!" Kelsi said as the three of us erupted in giggles.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMSHSM

"So where did you and Gabi go off to during free period?" Chad asked me as we shot free throws during P.E.

"To the secret garden, we had to talk." I told Chad as he gave me a look.

"Well now the gang doesn't have to get involved with your getting together with Gabi." Chad told me as I grinned.

"Wait. What's this about you guys getting involved? I never asked you guys." I told him.

"We were going to push the two of you together and hoped that it worked." Chad told me as I slapped his head.

"I didn't need your help in getting together with Gabi. I just had to cough up the nerve to do it." I told him as he grinned.

"Well I'm glad. Now we can retire the plan until some other couple comes along." Chad told me.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked him as he slowly nodded his head.

"Kelsi and Jason right?" Chad asked me as I grinned and nodded my head.

"Oh yeah. Those two have a crush on each other like nothing else." I told him as Jason came over.

"What are the two of you gossiping about over here?" Jason asked us as we continued to shoot baskets.

"Um . . . nothing. We were just coming over to the group. Let's go Chad." I told him as we ran back over to the group.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't know how much I'm going to be able to update this week because I have two weeks until finals start and I'm going to be studying my butt off for those. Enjoy and I own nothing!**

* * *

5:30 pm

_Uh . . . There's nothing to be nervous about_. I told myself as I paced my bedroom floor. I was dressed in a simple denim skirt with a light blue shirt on. I had pulled my hair up into a pony tail and had some light make up on. I'm just now waiting for Troy to get his butt over here to get me so I can go have dinner with his parents.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy just came and picked me up from my house. He came in and we had small talk with my mom and he asked me if I was ready to go. We walked out and down to his car. He opened the door for me and quickly got in himself.

"What's wrong babe?" Troy asked as I stared out the window.

"I'm extremely nervous to meet your family." I told him as he grinned.

"You have nothing to be nervous about. Hannah's excited to meet you." He told me as I gave him a strange look.

"Who's Hannah, Troy? You forgot to mention her to me." I told him as he grinned.

"Gabi, Hannah is my little sister. She's in the 5th grade. She was my parent's oopies child." He told me laughing.

"Oh. You did forget to mention her. What's she like?" I asked him as he grinned.

"She's a miniature me. Only in female form." Troy told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Let me be the judge of that." I told him as we pulled up to his house.

He got out and quickly opened the door for me. He laced our fingers together and led me up the driveway into the front door.

"Mom, Dad, Hannah, there's someone here I would like you guys to meet." He yelled as he gently closed the front door.

"Troy you don't have to yell. But I'll be down in a minute." Hannah told him as she ran back upstairs.

"Come on, let's go into the kitchen." Troy told me as he gave my hand a gently squeeze.

We walked into the kitchen, my flip flops quietly making noise. I saw his mom standing at the stove and his father giving his mom a kiss on the cheek.

"Mom, Dad, this is Gabriella. Gabi these are my parents, Jack and Chelsea Bolton." He told me as we shook hands.

"It's very nice to meet both of you. Troy has told me so much about the two of you." I told her as they both smiled.

"Likewise, Troy's told us so much about you. I'm glad you could make it tonight." His mom told me.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Bolton." I told her as Troy and I sat at the counter.

"Please call me Chelsea. Troy will you go see what's keeping Hannah? She's been on the phone with John all afternoon." Chelsea told him

"It's John now? That girl changes boys more often than I can keep up." Troy told us as he ran upstairs.

"So Gabi are you liking East High?" Jack asked me as I smiled.

"I like it. It's keeping me busy." I told him as he smiled.

"Well you're keeping Troy in line and that's all we could ask for. I heard you're giving him help with his math homework." Jack told me as I smiled.

"I am helping him. But he just doesn't get it. I don't know what to do with him." I told them as they laughed.

"Join the club, Gabriella, join the club." Chelsea told me as I laughed and Troy came downstairs with a younger version of himself.

"Gabi this is my younger sister, Hannah. Anna, this is the girl I was talking about, Gabriella." Troy told us as I crouched down to shake her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you Hannah. Troy's told me so much about you." I told her as I stood up.

"Troy you were right. She is very pretty. Oh, and it's nice to meet you too." Hannah told us as I blushed.

"Hannah, come help me set the table. Troy you can show her around the house." Chelsea told us smiling.

"Come on Gabi, there's something I want to show you." Troy told me as he took my hand.

He led me down the hallway we came in and up the stairs and stopped at a closed door. He gently swung the door opened and stepped inside. He led me inside and I sat on a bed.

"Welcome to my room!" Troy told me excitedly.

His room was just like any other guys room. The room was painted NC Tar heel blue. Around the room he had posters of J.J. Redick and Michael Jordan. He had a map of the United States and there was a thump tack on every town he's ever been to.

"Cool room. I guess you really do eat, sleep, and live basketball?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Yeah. But those are just the ones I've seen live." He told me as I smiled.

"You've seen Michael Jordan play?" I asked him as he grinned.

"Yeah why?" He asked me as my eyes went to the ground.

Before I had a chance to answer, his mom called from downstairs, yelling that dinner was ready.

"Come on. Let's not keep the family waiting." I told him as we grabbed hands and walked downstairs.

During dinner, Chelsea, Jack, and Hannah kept us all entertained by telling me stories of when Troy was younger. Troy was a good sport and just shook his head and laughed. I enjoyed myself greatly. After dinner I offered to help clean the table off and Chelsea told me that I was a guest and guest do not do any of the work. Instead, she got Jack to take care of the dishes.

"Come on. We're going to sit outside on the swing." Troy told us as we walked outside.

We sat on the swing and gently swung back and forth. We sat in silence until Troy broke it.

"What were you going to say before my mom called us to dinner?" Troy asked as I smiled.

"I never got to see Michael Jordan play because the day before we were suppose to see the Bulls play, my dad died in an accident." I told him.

"Oh Gabi. I didn't know. I'm sorry." He told me as I placed a finger over his lips.

"It's ok. It's been 10 years since he died." I told him as he grabbed my hands and gently squeezed them.

"So you were 5 when he died?" Troy asked me as I nodded.

"Yeah he, mom, and I were going to the Bull's game and I was so excited to be going to my first basketball game. When the phone rang, I was wearing my bull's jersey and a skirt. My mom told me and I didn't believe it so I ran upstairs and hid in my closet." I told him.

"Why your closet?" Troy asked me as he placed his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

"Whenever we played hide and seek, I always hid in my closet. So I thought if I hid in there, he would come back and find me." I told him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He told me as he kissed my cheek.

"I've gotten over it but my mom still holds on. He's in my heart and I miss him but I know he's in a better place now. And he's watching down on me." I told him.

"What do you think he does every time I kiss you?" Troy asked as I smiled.

"He probably yells watch where you put the hand buddy." I told him laughing.

"I would love loved to meet him." Troy told me as I smiled.

"He would have loved you. He was a good guy." I told him as we both smiled.

We continued to swing back and forth. He ended up taking me home at 10. I said goodbye to his family and his mom made me promise I would come by sometime. Hannah was sad to see me go but I promised her that she and I would hang out sometime. Troy kissed me on my front porch and then left. As he was leaving, Troy looked up to Heaven and smiled. I kissed him again and walked inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I decided to update. I'm not going to keep updating until I get some feedback. Does anyone actually read this and enjoy it? If so, let me know! The only person I own is Hannah!**

I woke up Saturday morning with a smile on my face. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. I was in a great mood.

I threw opened my balcony doors and sat on the chair outside. I watched a young girl and her father kick a ball back and forth. I smiled thinking about all the special things my dad and I did. My cell phone rang disrupting the peace.

"Good morning good looking." I said answering the phone.

"Good morning to you too beautiful. What are you doing up?" He asked me as I looked at the clock.

"It's 9 o'clock in the morning. I was tired of lying in bed so I decided to get up." I told him.

"Oh. Do you have any plans for today?" He asked me as I smiled.

"No why do you have something planned?" I asked him as I grinned bigger.

"Yeah I do. Do you want to go on a surprise date with me?" He asked me as I smiled.

"Of course I'll go with you. When do you want to meet?" I asked him as he laughed.

"I'll be over at your house at 12." He told me as I giggled.

"How should a girl dress for her secret date?" I asked him as he laughed.

"You girls and how you should dress. Um . . . how about a cute skirt and a nice shirt?" He asked me as I smiled.

"I think I can do that Romeo. I'll see you in about three hours." I told him as he laughed.

"Romeo? I like it. And I'll see you in a little while." He told me as he hung up.

I took a quick shower and then walked downstairs. My mom was sitting at the counter sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hey Gabi. Who were you talking to?" Mom asked me as I rolled my eyes.

"Troy called and asked me on a secret date. He'll be here at 12." I told her as she smiled.

"I'm glad you finally found someone who loves you the way you should be loved." Mom told me as I blushed.

"I really love him mom, I really do." I told her as I sat at the counter beside her.

"Good I'm glad. Did he give you any hint on what the two of you would be doing?" Mom asked me as I smiled.

"He just told me to dress in a skirt and a cute shirt. That's all." I told her as she gave me a look.

"Do you know what you're going to wear?" Mom asked me as I smiled.

"I'm thinking my pink flown skirt and a white shirt." I told her as she smiled.

"I think that would be quite cute." She told me as I helped myself to some fresh fruit she cut.

"So mom, what are you going to do today?" I asked her as I stuck a piece of watermelon in my mouth.

"I'm going shopping with a couple of friends from work. Make sure you take your key with you when Troy comes and picks you up." She told me.

"All right. I've got some reading to do for school, so I'm going to do that before Troy gets here. Yell up when you're leaving." I told her.

"All right I can do that. Have fun doing that reading." She told me as she laughed.

"Thanks. I'll try to have fun when I'm reading about the Civil War." I told her as I headed upstairs.

I threw myself onto my bed and cracked opened my book. I looked at the pictures that hung around my room. I saw a couple of me and Troy as friends and then some that were taken in the last couple of days. Then I saw ones of my mom, dad, and me when I was younger. There was one of me in a pink tutu with my hands up in the air. My mom thought I was the cutest ballerina ever. I looked at the one of my dad holding me when I was first born. Tears came to my eyes, thinking that he would never see me get married or see his grandchildren. I quickly wiped the tears away before it soaked the book.

I threw myself into my homework and forgot about my sadness.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

12:00 p.m.

I heard the door bell ring as I ran down the stairs. I quickly put my flip flops on and opened the door.

"Wow Gabi. You look really good." Troy told me as he stepped inside.

"Thank you Troy. You look good yourself." I told him as I grabbed my keys from the key rack.

"Ready?" Troy asked me as he grabbed my hands. I linked my hands with him as he opened the door.

"Yeah let's go. So where are you taking me on our secret date?" I asked him as I locked the house up.

"I'm not going to tell you so you are going to have to wait." Troy told me as we started to walk down the street.

"Dang it. I was hoping you would eventually crack." I told him as I kissed his lips.

"What were we just talking about?" He asked me as I laughed.

"You were about to tell me where you were taking me." I told him as he grinned.

"I think not my love. You're just going to have to wait." He told me as we walked into a park down the street from my house.

"This is where we are going?" I asked him slightly disappointed.

"Nope but this is." He told me as he pointed to the carousel that stood across the park.

"How did you find out that I have a secret love for carousels?" I asked him as he smiled.

"I did some digging. I was talking to your mom and I was asking her what I should do for our little surprise date." He told me as I smiled.

"You had this planned for a while didn't you?" I asked him as he opened the door to the carousel for me.

"Indeed I did. I had it planned since I asked you to my girlfriend." He told me as he bought our tickets.

"So which one are you going to ride on Miss Montez?" Troy asked as he took my hand and helped me onto the carousel.

"I think I'm going to ride this pretty brown horse." I told him as he helped me up. He ended picking the horse right next to mine.

We rode the carousel 4 times after that one, each time bring back so many wonderful memories from my past. Troy and I held hands each time we rode the ride.

"You ready to get off this thing?" Troy asked after our fifth time riding the carousel.

"I guess. Now where?" I asked as Troy grabbed my waist and helped me off of my horse.

"Now we are going to walk around the park and talk about whatever comes to mind." He told me as I smiled.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked him as he smiled.

"How wonderful it is to be here with you just walking around and having a normal conversation. What about you?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I'm thinking about how I got paired up with an amazing guy who truly interested in me and not what he can get from me." I told him as he smiled.

"I'm interesting in what you were like as a child." Troy told me as I laughed.

"I was a wild child. As soon as my feet were on the ground, I was gone. I never stopped. I would do crafts, run outside, just be a normal child." I told him as he smiled.

"Man, I might have to get your mom to dig out the baby pictures." Troy told me as my eyes got wide.

"Don't you dare! She'll show you ever last one." I told him as he laughed.

"Maybe I want to see how you were when you were younger." Troy told me as I grinned.

"You won't until I'm ready to show you those pictures. What were you like as a child Troy?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I never stopped either. I was running around my neighborhood from like 9 until 5 when everyone had to go in. Chad and I would most likely stay at the park all day playing basketball or something stupid. Then when Zeke and Jason moved to town the four of us were inseparable. If you found me, you most likely found the other three guys." He told me as I smiled.

"I can only imagine little Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason running around trying to be little he-mans." I told him as he laughed.

"Ahh the good times of our childhood. I miss those days." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I don't miss my childhood one bit. I was a nerd when I was a child. It wasn't good." I told him as he laughed.

"Ahh but now look at you. You grew up to be a beautiful, intelligent girl who just happens to my girlfriend." He told me as I smiled and kissed him.

"Thank you for today Troy. It was good to get out of the house and just be with you." I told him as he smiled.

"I'm glad I could make you forget everything for a day. You ready to head back to your house?" Troy asked me.

"Yeah. My mom's probably back from shopping." I told him as we walked back to my house.

We held hands as we walked back. Troy kept swinging them really high and just making me laugh. We talked about whatever came to our minds. It was just fun walking back with him and just spending time with him.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I decided you guys deserved another chapter. I own nothing, except Hannah! **

**Someone brought it to my attention that in the first chapter Troy's mom was Dana and in this chapter it's Chelsea. I changed it so it's not a new chapter! **

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

I decided I would go to Troy's house and walk with him to school the following Monday morning. I got dressed in a hurry and ran downstairs.

"Woah Gabi slow down. Where's the fire?" My mom asked me as I grinned.

"I want to get over to Troy's so I can walk him to school. I want to surprise him." I told her as she smiled.

"Well take this and get going." She told me handing me a cereal bar as I headed out the front door.

I remember Troy telling me he always left at 7:15 to go to school and as I looked at my watch it was 7:05 which is telling me to get my butt in gear.

I made it to his house just as the clock turned 7:10. I go up to his door and knock. His mom answered with a smile.

"Gabriella come on in. Troy just sat down at the table." She told me as she opened the door wider.

I cautiously stepped in and followed her to the kitchen. Troy's face brightens as I stepped into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Troy asked visibly surprised and as I grinned.

"I decided to surprise you this morning and walk you to school." I told him as he smiled.

"Well I'm surprised that for sure. Come sit down and chill with me until I'm ready to go." He told me as Hannah came down the stairs.

"Morning Hannah Banana!" Troy yelled from the table as I laughed.

"Hello Superman what are you so cheerful about this morning?" She asked from the other room.

"Come out here and see." Troy yelled back as his mom handed me some juice.

"Hey Gabi. How are you this morning?" Hannah asked me as I smiled.

"Great! What about you Hannah?" I asked her as she laughed.

"Bad. I've got a major test today and I'm not ready for it." Hannah told me as I smiled.

"That happens to your brother all the time. I end up having to teach him everything he needs to know 5 minutes before the test." I told her as she giggled.

"Yeah Troy's been like that since he started Kindergarten." Hannah told us as we laughed.

"Is this national pick on Troy day?" Troy asked as both Hannah and I laugh.

"No this is just national pick on Troy Bolton day!" Hannah said as she giggled.

"I'm going to get you for that Hannah Banana!" Troy told her as he jumped up from the table and started to chase Hannah.

"You will never catch me ginger Troy!" Hannah yelled as she played on the gingerbread man theme.

"Oh you are so going to get it now." Troy yelled as Jack Bolton came down the stairs.

"Has the Bolton household turned into a three-ring circus this morning?" He asked as he came into the kitchen.

"No it's just your son and daughter fighting again." Dana told her husband as he grinned.

"Good morning Gabi. I'm sorry you have to see this. They are like this all the time." Jack told me as he opened the paper.

"Troy Douglas Bolton and Hannah Marie Bolton come sit down here at this table this instant!" Dana yelled as both kids came into the kitchen.

"Busted by the full name." Jack said as I fell into giggles.

"I'm ashamed that Gabi had to see the two of you acting like you normally do." Dana told her two children as they hung their heads.

"But mom, its Troy's fault." Hannah told her mother as Jack and I grinned.

"MOM! I did no such thing. It's all Hannah's fault." Troy told her as I chucked.

"It's both of your faults. You both started it. No finish eating before both of you are late and your father will be forced to give you rides." Dana told them.

"Wait when did they become my children? I thought they were our children." Jack spoke up as we all fell into laughter.

"They are your children when they get into trouble!" Dana told him as she laughed.

"When are they your children?" Jack asked as Hannah, Troy, and I all grinned.

"When they do something good like win a championship or get first place at a gymnastics competition." Dana told us.

"Man I get the raw end of the deal." Jack told us as we all grinned.

"Don't worry daddy, we still love you." Hannah told him as she went and kissed him on the cheek.

"You'll eventually get the good end of the deal, honey. When they grow up, move out of the house, and get married, then you will get the good end of the deal." Dana told him as she looked at the time.

"Troy, you and Gabi better start heading out or the two of you will be late." Dana told us as we both nodded.

"You ready to go babe?" Troy asked me as he went and gathered his stuff.

"Yeah. Thanks for the entertaining morning, Hannah!" I told her as she grinned.

"Any time. Let me know when you're coming back over and I'll do it again." She told me as her mother gave her a look.

"Hannah finish eating. I'll drop you off on my way to work." Dana told her.

"Bye Dana and Coach Bolton, I'll see you at school." I told Troy's parents.

"Hey Gabi?" Coach Bolton called as I walked down the hallway. I turned and stood at the doorway of the kitchen.

"You can call me Jack here in the house but when we get to school, it's Coach Bolton." He told me as I grinned.

"Deal Jack. I'll see you later." I told him as I went and caught up with Troy.

"Is that a normal morning at the Bolton household?" I asked him as he laughed.

"Far from it. It's usually very quiet and laid back." Troy told me as he grabbed my hand.

HSHHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

The day seemed to drag by like molasses. Finally the final bell rang and I met Troy outside of my classroom. He kissed me and held my hand.

"Feel like coming over?" He asked me as I smiled.

"Will it be a replay from this morning?" I asked him as he grinned.

"For the first hour, no because Hannah doesn't get out of school until 3:30 but then after that I don't know." He told me as I smiled.

"Sure I'll come hang out with you." I told him as the school's hallways emptied out.

"Ready to go?" I asked him as he grinned.

"First I want to do this." He told me as he leaned in to kiss me.

"Troy come on. Let's go home." Coach Bolton said walking up to Troy and I.

"Hey dad. Good idea, bad timing. Can Gabi come over?" Troy asked as I grinned.

"I don't see why not. Come on you two." He said as he walked down the hallway.

"That's classic. Getting busted by dear old dad!" I told him as he grinned.

"It's likely to happen when your dad works at your high school." Troy told me as we walked to the parking lot.

The ride to Troy's house was pretty quiet. Troy and I held hands as we rode in the car.

Once we got to Troy's house we sat on the front porch swing and just swung slowly back and forth. I laid my head on Troy shoulder as he played the rings on my fingers.

"Watch out, Explosion Hannah is going to exploded." Troy told me as a car pulled into the driveway.

"Hannah just arrived home?" I asked him as he smiled.

"You guessed it. Oh lookie, its Hannah and mom." He yelled as they came up the driveway.

"Hey bratty older brother. What are you doing?" Hannah asked as she and her mom sat on the porch railing.

"I'm hanging out with Gabi. How was your day at school?" Troy asked as she grinned.

"Not good. I had to spend it in the principal's office." Hannah told us as her mom gave her a look.

"Tell Gabi and Troy what you did Hannah." Dana told her as we looked on.

"What's going on out here?" Jack asked as he opened the screen door.

"Come have a seat and listen to what your daughter did today." Dana told him as he closed the door.

"What did you do Hannah?" Troy asked her as she smiled.

"I punched Billy German." Hannah told us as we all tried to keep from laughing.

"Why did you punch Billy?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Because he told me he liked me and I don't like him so I punched him." Hannah told us proudly.

"That a girl. When boys tell you they like you, you punch them." Jack and Troy both told her as Dana gave them each a look.

"Now she has to write a letter to Billy telling her that she's sorry and she has to stay in from recess the rest of the week." Dana told us.

"Oh. Young lady what have we talked about hitting people?" Jack asked her as she sighed.

"Not to do it. But he was going to tell everyone that I was his girlfriend and I'm not. Eww!" She told us as we laughed.

"But you could have told him that you didn't want to be his girlfriend instead of hitting him." Dana told her as Troy and I both smiled.

"But he didn't listen when I told him that. So I got his attention pretty effectively by punching him." Hannah told us as we all laughed.

"But it's not nice to punch someone. You could have walked away." Jack told her.

"I tried but he kept following me around." Hannah told them as Troy spoke up.

"So where did you punch him exactly?" Troy asked as Dana, Jack, and Hannah all turned to him.

"I just punched his arm. I didn't do any damage." Hannah told him as she laughed.

"But that's not an excuse. You are going to go up to your room and write that letter. Then we'll talk about a punishment." Dana told her as Hannah walked into the house.

"You were right Jack; there is never a dull moment in this household." Dana told her husband as he grinned.

"You knew she would do something like this. With an older brother like Troy she was bound to go hit someone." Jack told her as I laughed.

"It's not my fault she hit the guy. I'm pretty proud of her for hitting the dude." Troy said as I laughed.

"Leave it to you to be proud of your sister for hitting a guy that told her he liked her." I told him as he laughed.

"She way too young to be dating. She's 11 years old and she shouldn't be having a boyfriend until she's 30." Troy told me as I laughed.

"I totally agree with my son!" Jack told us as Dana and I rolled our eyes.

"Well your 15 and I think you're too young for a girlfriend." Dana told him.

"Well I'm on my way to being a man!" Troy told her as I laughed.

"What kind of a man? A he man?" I asked him as Dana busted out laughing.

"That was great Gabi. You are no way in any way ready to be a man." Dana told him as I grinned.

"But I'm 15 years old, I'm almost 16 and then before you know it, I'll be 21." Troy said as I laughed.

"Your going to have to wait 6 years until you turn 21. You're not a man until your parents declare you one!" I told him as he frowned.

"Jack do you have anything to say?" Dana asked as he gave her a look.

"I'm totally lost in what you were saying." He told us as we all laughed.

I spent the rest of the night over at the Bolton's. I ate dinner with them before Troy walked me home. We both laughed at the day we had endured. I kissed him goodnight before walking inside. I leaned against the door with the biggest smile on my face thanking God He had brought an incredible guy into my life and his family along with him.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**This chapter was purely fun for me to write. This happened in one of my friend's house a couple of weeks ago and I decided to put it in the Bolton's household. **

**Now go review! Tell me how much you loved the chapter! Thank you so much to my loyal reviewers. You know who you are!**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback. It was pretty much anonymous that the chapter cracked everyone up. I own nothing except for the character not in the movie! I had to come up with a date so I decided to use an early day in April. It gives you sometime time line on when's it takes place.

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_April 4, 2006_

The following morning at school was a crazy one. Everyone was trying to get from one place to another. I just stood by my locker, watching the madness take place. I heard someone whistling behind me. I turned around and got a huge smile on my face.

"Morning Coach Bolton." I told him as he passed by which meant that his son was only a few feet behind him.

"Morning Gabi. Funny our house wasn't like it was yesterday morning." He told me as I laughed.

"That's good. Where's Troy at?" I asked him as he looked around.

"He probably got stopped by one of his teachers. He'll be coming. Oh there he is now." Coach told me as I smiled.

"Thanks Coach. I'll see you later." I told him as I shut my locker and walked towards Troy.

"Hey Gabi. What are you doing here so early?" Troy asked me as I gave him a look.

"What do you mean by early? It's 7:20 and class starts at 7:30." I told him as he laughed.

"Well usually you are rushing into homeroom at 7:29 just before the bell usually rings." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Hahaha you're such a funny guy." I told him as we walked into our homeroom.

"Did you just figure out that Troy's a funny guy?" Chad asked us as we took our seats.

"No he's just being a dork again." I told him as Troy put his hand to his heart.

"Ahh you got me again Gabi. One of these days, you're going to kill me." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Nah I'll save that job for Hannah once she gets ungrounded." I told him as we both laughed.

"So why is Hannah grounded?" Chad asked us as the bell rang not giving us time to explain to him.

Coach Bolton walked into the room which was surprise in itself. He must have been asked to substitute.

"Good morning class. Mrs. Darbus is ill today so I told her I would take her class first period. Please get out your books and turn to page 102 and begin reading." Coach told us as we all got our books out.

The morning passed by in a deadly march. The morning seemed to drown on and on. It felt like we were in school for what seemed like ages. Finally at 2:30 the bell rang, signaling the end of school.

I was at my locker when Troy came by. I smiled at him as I threw my books into the locker.

"Are you doing anything for the next hour?" Troy asked me as I threw him a look.

"Um . . . I don't think so. Why?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Good because you and I have plans." Troy told me as I gave him a strange look.

"What are the plans?" I asked him as I shut my locker and we locked hands.

"Come with me and I'll explain on the way." Troy told me as he pulled me through the school.

We arrived at the gym and Troy opened the door and cautiously went in.

"You are walking like you are going to fall through the floor at any time." I told him as he smiled.

"We have to be quiet. But I wanted to show you something." Troy told me as he picked up a basketball.

"So what? It's a ball. I've seen one like a million times." I told him as I placed my book bag on the bleachers.

"Just a ball? Just a ball? This is not just a ball. It's the ball that you and I are going to play with." Troy told me as I smiled.

"You want me to play basketball with you?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Yup. So we are going to start with the basics and go from there." Troy told me as I grabbed the ball from him and shot a free throw.

We each grabbed a ball and just shot baskets. Troy threw one up that totally missed the basket. I was giving him crap for that.

"Why did you bring me in here Troy?" I asked him as he took my hand and sat down on the court.

"I guess I wanted you to see what it feels like every time I step onto the court." Troy told me as I squeezed his hand.

"What's going on in that head of yours Troy?" I asked him as he looked at the hoop.

"I'm just thinking. We're juniors now and next year we will be seniors. I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up and I don't know if I even want to play basketball anymore." Troy told me as I listened.

"Are you thinking about quitting basketball?" I asked him as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I don't know about anything any more." Troy told me as I gave him a look.

"I do. You have a great family that is there for you whenever you need them to be. You have great friends who would drop anything to help you out. And you have me and I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me until the day we die." I told him as I gave him a hug.

"Thank you Gabi. I just have to figure some things out." He told me as I smiled.

"Let me ask you this. Don't think about anyone else but yourself. What do you want? What does Troy Bolton, the average guy, want to do when he grows up?" I asked him.

"To tell you the truth, I want to be a doctor. I want to help people get better." He told me as I smiled.

"What kind of doctor do you want to be?" I asked him as he smiled.

"A pediatrician. I want to help little kids get better and live life to the fullest." He told me as I smiled.

"That a great dream to have. You have the will power and I think you can achieve that dream. You just have to work hard and work through everything." I told him.

"Thank you Gabi for talking to me and getting me to realize what I want. Now let me ask you a question. What do you want to be when you grow up?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I've always wanted to be an elementary teacher. I don't know what grade but I want to teach little kids." I told him as he smiled.

"What other dreams do you have?" Troy asked as I squeezed his hand.

"I want to get married, have a house full of kids, and just grow old with my husband. I just want to be happy and share my life with the ones I love. What about you?" I asked him as the door opened.

We both turned and saw that it was Hannah running across the court at full speed. She ran into her brother's arms and started crying. Troy caught her and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hannah you have to stop crying for a minute and talk to me." Troy told her as he gave me a worried look.

He started to rub her back in soothing circles and she started to calm down. Finally she opened her mouth and started talking in a shaky voice.

"Something is wrong with mom. Dad's at the hospital with her. She fainted and Chad's mom brought me here because you said you were staying after school with Gabi." She told him with a shaky voice.

"Did dad tell you to come get me and go up to the hospital or what?" Troy asked as I gave him a look.

"No. But Chad's mom had to leave so I'm stuck with you." Hannah told him as I smiled.

"Come on you two. You both can come hang out at my house." I told them as we stood up.

"Are you sure your mom won't be mad, Gabi?" Hannah asked as I gave her a smile.

"Nope she's out with friends tonight. So it's just me in the house. I need company anyways." I told her as she smiled.

"Ok. Let's go Troy. I want to see Gabi house." Hannah told him as we walked out of the gym and outside to the nice sunny day.

We walked home quietly. I looked over at Troy who had a worried look on his face and Hannah who was just walking along with her head down. I was scared for the two of them, thankful they had each other to support each other.

"Here it is." I told them as we stopped at my house. I saw Hannah's eyes go wide as she looked at the house.

"This is your house? I've always loved this house for some reason." Hannah told me as I smiled.

"Yup this is my house. My mom fell in love with it when we moved here so she bought it." I told her as we opened the door.

I heard music coming from the kitchen and started walking towards it. There was my mom standing there cooking and singing. I heard Hannah giggle and smile as she watched my mom. My mom, who heard Hannah giggle, looked up surprised.

"Well hello there. Gabi, Troy, and who is this little one?" My mom asked as she blushed.

"Hello Mrs. Montez, this is my little sister, Hannah. Hannah this is Gabi's mom." Troy said introducing the two.

"It's nice to meet you Hannah. You can call me Anna." My mom said as she shook Hannah's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." Hannah said as she sat at the counter.

"Can Troy and Hannah stay over tonight? Their mom is at the hospital." I told her as she smiled.

"Of course. I'll make up the guest rooms for the two of you. Would you like to help me Hannah?" Mom asked as she offered her hand.

"I would be delighted." Hannah said as she and my mom giggled and skipped from the room.

I turned to Troy and saw the worried look on his face. I took his hand into mine and gave it a squeezed.

"What's going on in your mind now Troy?" I asked him as I wrapped my other arm around him.

"I'm worried. I'm scared and I just want to sit here and cry." Troy told me as I got tears in my eyes.

"Well just let it out. We can go on the porch if you want so Hannah doesn't see you cry." I told him as we both stood up.

I opened our screen door and lead Troy to the swing. We both sit down and within minutes there are tears coming down Troy's face. I wrap him in a hug as I start to cry. We both sit there until we both calm down.

"Now tell me what's going on." I told him as he tried to stop the tears coming down his cheek.

"A few years back, when Hannah was 4, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went under radiation and chemo and we thought it was all gone but now that she's at the hospital, I'm thinking that it has flared up again." Troy told me as I hugged him.

"You can't start to worry until you know for certain. It might be something else. Everything will eventually work out. Just have faith!" I told him as he shook his head.

"There's a nagging feeling in the back of my head telling me it's something. I don't know what but it's something." Troy told me.

"You might want to call your dad's cell phone and tell him you're at my house so he doesn't worry. You tell me what you want me to do and I'll try my best to do it." I told him as he attempted a smile.

"Can you go make sure Hannah is ok? I'm going to call my dad." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Sure. If you need anything, let me know." I told him as I kissed his forehead and walked inside.

I walked up the stairs to hear two different laughs. I walked into the guest room next to my room and saw my mom and Hannah having a pillow fight. I smiled as Hannah whacked my mom.

"Can anyone join or is this an exclusive party?" I asked them as they both laughed.

"Anyone can join silly. Thank you for opening your home to me and Troy." Hannah told us as I smiled.

"Not a problem. I love having you two here." I told her as she grinned.

"You love having Troy here more than me." Hannah told me as I gave her a shocked look.

"That's not true. You being here is as much fun as having Troy here." I told her as she smiled.

"I just want to say thanks again." Hannah told my mom.

"Like Gabi said, it's not a problem. Let's finish this up and then we'll order pizza for dinner." Mom told the two of us and we quickly finished fixing up the room.

We went into the other room and fixed that one up too. I saw Troy leaning against the door frame as we finished making up the bed.

"You ok?" I asked him as I went to give him a hug.

"Yeah. Mom and dad are on their way over here. Mom's fine but they want to tell the two of us something." Troy told us as we smiled.

"See I told you everything would work out." I told him as he kissed my cheek.

"Yeah how did I get lucky with such a smart, beautiful, and wonderful girlfriend?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I have no idea. You just know how to pick them." I told him as I went into my room.

"You know this is the first time I've been in your room. I've only been on your balcony." Troy told me as I smiled.

"It's nothing much. It's just a room where I sleep." I told him as he smiled.

"It's a room that reflects your personality." He told me as he looked at all the picture frames I had laying around the room.

"I would have to say this one is my favorite one." Troy told me as he picked up a picture.

"Which one?" I asked him as I stepped up beside him and looked at the frame.

It was the one right after the musical that his mom had taken. Troy and I were sitting on the stage after the theatre had emptied. We wanted quietness before we went to the cast party. We were just sitting there talking quietly and unknowing to us, his mom had come in and taken a picture of the two of us.

"That's my favorite too. Just because I'm sitting there talking with you and it's a simple picture." I told him as I leaned into him.

We both just stood there and looked at all the pictures until the doorbell pulled us from our thoughts.

"You ready to go do this?" I asked him as he grabbed my hand.

"If you sit with me and never leave, I will be able to get through this." Troy told me as we heard Hannah laughing.

"Let's go and get this done with." Troy told me as I grabbed his hand and smiled.

We walked downstairs and saw Jack hugging Hannah and Dana and my mom talking. Troy stopped at the bottom of the stairs and hugged his mom.

"Why don't we all go into the living room?" Mom asked as Troy grabbed my hand.

"What's going on? Are you ok, mom?" I heard Troy asked as I squeezed his hand.

"I'm fine and everything is ok." Dana told her son as Jack and her smiled.

"But . . ." Hannah asked trailing off.

"There is something we want to tell the two of you. It was a shock to the two of us but we are happy about it." Jack told them as I smiled.

I had a feeling about what they were about to say. I knew Troy would be happy about what they were going to say.

"Troy, Hannah, in October you two are going to be big siblings again. I'm pregnant." Dana told them as Troy's face broke out into a smile.

"Seriously? You're pregnant?" Troy asked as he jumped up and hugged his mom.

"I'm serious as a heart attacked. I'm about two months along." Dana told him as he grinned.

We all congratulated them and hugs went all around.

"Do you know what you're having?" Hannah asked her mom and dad as they grinned.

"I don't know yet but do you want me to find out for the two of you?" Dana asked as Hannah and Troy looked at each other.

"Yeah that would be great because I need to know how to do the room." Hannah told them as we all laughed.

"Hold on killer you have a couple of months. We'll figure it out. What are you thinking Gabi?" Jack asked me as I smiled.

"I'm just really happy for the four of you. You guys are going to be great parents for the third time around." I told them as they smiled.

My mom ended up ordering pizza and the Bolton's' ended up staying over for dinner. It was great to see Troy's parents and my mom interact with each other. The smiles never left Hannah and Troy's faces. I was truly happy for them.

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Now you guys know the secret. What should I make Dana have? Boy or Girl or Twins? Let me know. The most votes will win. Please review! 


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here's the next chapter and I only own the characters that weren't in the movie! Enjoy! **

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Thursday, June 15, 2006

It was officially summer now. And school was out until September. Troy, Hannah, and I were spending a lot of time together just hanging out.

"Troy what are we going to do today?" I asked him as I walked into his front door.

"Troy's not even up yet!" Hannah told me as I walked into the kitchen.

"He told me yesterday when we talked on the phone that he would be up at 9:30 so we could hang out with Hannah today." I told his parents as they laughed.

"Gabi you can go wake him up and get his butt out of bed." A very visible pregnant Dana told me.

"Ok. I'll be back in a minute. If I'm not back in 5 minutes, send up a rescue crew." I told them as they laughed.

I walked up the stairs and saw his door closed. I quietly twisted the door knob and pushed open the door. I looked around and saw the posters of basketball players and smiled. I saw him lying in bed with the covers up to his waist. I saw his ripped chest and quietly giggled to myself. I walked over to the bed and stared at him with a grin on my face.

"Troy. Come on Troy time to get up." I told him while gently shaking him.

All Troy did was roll over and pulled the covers over his head. I smiled as I tried again.

"Troy, come on baby you have to get up." I told him as he pulled the covers up higher.

"Fine! You are making me do something I'm not going to like." I told him as I walked out of the room and down the stairs.

I walked into the kitchen, got a glass of cold water, and stood at the counter.

"What's wrong, Gabi?" Jack asked me as I took a sip out of the glass.

"Your son is being stubborn. He won't get up." I told him as he smiled.

"You've got to play dirty with him. He's not going to wake up unless you do something to him." Jack told me as I smiled.

"I get where you are going. I'll be back." I told him as he grinned.

I walked back upstairs and into Troy's room. I quickly dumped the cold water from my glass onto Troy. I quickly ran from the room before Troy could react. I ran downstairs and sat in the kitchen.

"What did you do, Gabi?" Jack asked me as I poured myself some juice.

"Just poured ice cold water on him. That's all." I told him as he erupted in laughter.

"Nice but you do know he's going to come down here in anger." Jack told me as I smiled.

"At least it got him out of his bed." I told him as we heard someone coming down the stairs.

"I would watch out, if I were you two. Troy's on a rampage." Hannah told us as she sat down at the table.

"Troy Douglas Bolton! I better not tell you again to clean this room up." Dana yelled as I laughed.

"He gets up and everyone is yelling at him. Poor baby." Hannah told him as Jack, Hannah, and I all laugh.

"Who did it?" Troy asked as I grinned at him. He had walked down the stairs in nothing but his pajama pants.

"Did what hunny?" I asked him as he grabbed some toast and some juice.

"Threw ice cold water on me while I was peacefully sleeping." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Hey Troy? Look at the clock. What time did you tell me to be over here?" I asked him as the clock read 10:00 am.

"Oh I lost track of time. I was tired and I had to catch up on my beauty rest." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I'll forgive you this time. But you better start buttering Hannah up because she doesn't look too thrilled." I told him as he smiled.

"Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Hey Troy?" I asked him as he started to go up the stairs.

"Yeah Gabi? What can I do for you today?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"It was me who spilt ice cold water on you while you were sleeping." I told him as he smiled.

"I kinda figured that but you're going to have to make it up to me somehow." Troy told me as I got up and walked over to him.

"How's this for starters?" I asked him as I gave him a good morning kiss.

"That's fine but you've still got to make it up somehow." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Go get dressed so we can take your sister to the movies." I told him as I walked back into the kitchen.

"So you guys are taking Hannah to the movies?" Jack asked me as I grinned.

"Yeah we're going to see _Over the Hedge_." I told him as he nodded.

"Ok. Dana and I have a doctor's appointment so we probably will not be home when you guys get back." Jack told me as I smiled.

"Ok. Are you guys finding out what you're having today?" I asked Jack as he grinned.

"I think Troy and Hannah both convinced Dana and I to find out. So we are going to try to find out." Jack told me as Dana walked down the stairs.

"Finding out what?" Dana asked Jack as she sat at the counter drinking her coffee.

"I was just telling Gabi that we decided to find out what you are having." Jack told her as she gave him a kiss.

"Yeah both kids want to know so we decided to find out. What are you going to do today Gabi?" Dana asked me as Troy and Hannah both came downstairs.

"Troy and I are taking Hannah to the movies and then I think out for lunch." I told her as she smiled.

"That sounds fun. Hannah you mind your brother and Gabi. Your dad and I won't be here when you guys get back so behave." Dana told us as we all smiled.

"You ready to go?" Troy asked me as I grabbed his hand.

"Yeah let's go Hannah. Last one out the front door is a rotten egg." Hannah yelled as I said my goodbyes to Dana and Jack.

We walked to the movies theatre. I listened to Hannah and Troy talk about their mom and how happy she was now that she was pregnant. We got to the movies and Troy bought our tickets and got us popcorn. We settled into the movie theatre and then the movie started.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

"Now where?" Troy asked us as we walked out of the movie theatre.

"How about we go get something to eat?" Hannah asked us as we all laughed.

"Is that all you two think of?" I asked the two of them as they looked at each other.

"Yeah we're Bolton's and that's all we Bolton's think of." Troy told me as I laughed.

"So where are we going to eat?" Hannah asked as Troy and I laughed.

"Well since you're so hungry, Hannah, you can go pick where we eat." Troy told her as she smiled.

"Let's go to Sam's." Hannah told us as my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered the ringing phone. Troy grabbed my hand as we walked towards the restaurant.

"Hey Gabi! It's mom. What are you up to?" She asked me as I smiled.

"I just got out of a movie with Hannah and Troy and now we're going to get something to eat." I told her as she talked to someone.

"Oh. What time are you going to be home?" Mom asked me as I sighed.

"I have no idea. Why? What's going on?" I asked her as she laughed.

"Leave it to you to ask questions. I've got a surprise for you when you come home." Mom told me as I smiled.

"I'll be home after we get something to eat." I told her as she smiled.

"All right. I'll see you then. Bring Troy and Hannah with you. They'll like this surprise as much as you will." Mom told me as I laughed.

"Ok. I'll see you then." I told her as we both hung up and I turned to Troy.

"Who was that?" Troy asked me as I looked at him really confused.

"That was my mom. She's got a surprise for me. She told me to bring the two of you with me when I go home." I told them as they both smiled.

"What do you think the surprise is going to be?" Hannah asked me as I smiled.

"I have no idea. I'll soon find out though. Let's go get some food." I told them as we walked into Sam's.

We sat down and quickly ordered shakes and burgers. Hannah and Troy kept me laughing throughout the entire lunch with their stories from when they were little. It was fun. I paid and we walked down the street until we reached my house.

"You nervous?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"You could tell? I am nervous but let's go in and see what my mom's surprise is." I told the two of them as we walked in the screen door.

"Mom?" I yelled as we all walked in and gently shut the door.

"Gabi we're upstairs. Come on up." Mom yelled as Troy, Hannah, and I all looked at each other.

We all ran upstairs and went into the room that was next to mine. My eyes went wide when I realized what the room was going to be used for.

"Mom do you care to explain?" I asked her as I looked at the cribs, changing table, and rockers that sat in the room.

"Remember how I told you a few months ago that a friend of mine was pregnant but didn't want the baby? Well I told her if she couldn't find a family, then I would take the baby. She delivered them yesterday and they are coming home with us." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Them?" I asked her as she nodded her head up and down. I released Troy hand and went and hugged my mom.

"Them. A little girl and a little boy. Your new siblings." Mom told me as I got tears in my eyes.

"When are they coming home? Wait, do my new brother and sister have names so we don't have to continue to call them, them?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Well as their new sister, I thought you and I could pick their names out." Mom told me as I smiled.

"That sounds really good." I told her as I saw Troy and Hannah both smiled.

"Congratulations you two. You're going to be great mother and sister!" Hannah told me as I hugged her.

"Thank you so much. That sounds good. Being called a sister!" I told them as they all laughed.

The phone rang and my mom went to answer it. I sat down in the rockers and gently rocked back and forth.

"So what are you thinking?" Troy asked me as he squatted down in front of me.

"I'm ecstatic and scared. I've got to start thinking of names for my siblings." I told him.

"There's nothing to be scared of. Being a sibling is a piece of cake. If you need any advice, ask Hannah or me and we'll tell you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"If you two are with me, I can do no wrong!" I told them as my mom came back into the room.

"Troy, Hannah, your mom and dad are on their way over here." Mom told me as I hugged her.

"When do my brother and sister come home?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Saturday. But you have to come up with the names before the babies are released." Mom told me as I smiled.

"I can do that. How about we go downstairs and wait for Jack and Dana?" I told them as we all walked downstairs.

We got half way down and the door bell rang. I ran to answer it and saw a smiling Jack and Dana standing on the other side.

"Hey Gabi. How's it going?" Dana asked me as I grinned.

"It's going good. Come on in. We're all in the living room." I told them as I gently closed the door.

We all walked in and at once, Troy and Hannah erupted and started telling their parents my news.

"Wait let me get this straight. Gabi is becoming an older sister to two babies that Anna has adopted?" Jack asked as I smiled.

"That is correct. The babies are coming home on Saturday." I told them as Dana and Jack both smiled.

"Congratulations Gabi and Anna. You guys are going to be great! If you need any help, Anna, let me know and I can do anything for you." Dana told mom as she smiled.

"Well are you going to keep us in suspense any longer?" Hannah asked Dana and Jack.

"Oh well we did have a sonogram today and it revealed that we're going to have . . ."

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**You guys must hate me now. Let me know what I should name Gabi's siblings. Also what should Mrs. Bolton have? Review as always. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I didn't want to keep you guys in suspense any longer so here's the next chapter. I only own the people that were not in the chapter! Just a reminder, Troy and Gabi are sophomores in this story! I just wanted to clear that up!**

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"Oh well we did have a sonogram today and it revealed that we're going to have a boy and a girl." Jack told us as Troy and Hannah grinned.

"Congratulations you guys!" I told them as Troy grabbed me into a hug.

"Now we have to come up with names for the little ones." Dana told them as we all smiled.

"That's going to be fun. What are you thinking about for the names of your children, Anna?" Troy asked my mom as she smiled.

"I'm leaving it up to Gabi since she wanted siblings for the longest time." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Well Gabi, what are you going to name your siblings?" Dana asked me as I smiled.

"Um . . . I'm thinking Christina Maria Montez for my sister and Lucas Diego Montez for my brother." I told them as my mom smiled and came over to me.

"Those sound like great names for your siblings." Mom told me as I grinned.

Troy came over and took my hand in his and led me outside to the swing on the front porch.

"So what are you thinking?" I asked Troy as he smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Currently I'm thinking how great it's going to be to show my little brother how to play basketball and how it's going to be so much to play tea party with my little sister. I'm going to be there for the two of them." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Does it scare you that you're going to be going off to college in the next couple of year, thus missing out on watching them grow up?" I asked him as she frowned.

"It does bother me but I figured I'm going to be going to a local community college for the first couple of years and then going to a bigger university. I'll make it happen because I want them to know that I'm there for them always." Troy told me as I got tears in my eyes.

"Hey this is supposed to be a happy day, not a sad one." Troy told me as I smiled.

"What you just said, I want the same thing. I want my siblings to know that I'm going to be there for them and I want them to grow up having a good childhood." I told him as he smiled.

"We will just have to achieve that together. We're going to be the best older siblings ever!" Troy told me as I smiled and as the front door opened.

"Is this a party anyone can join?" Hannah asked as she sat in between the two of us.

"Anyone can join. We were just talking about how the two of us have to go off to college in the next couple of years and how we want our younger siblings to understand that we are going to be there for them always." Troy told his sister as she hugged him.

"They are going to learn that early, Troy. All of our siblings, ours and Gabi's are going to understand that they have great older siblings." Hannah told us.

"How did you get so smart?" I asked her as she rolled her eyes and as Troy laughed.

"I didn't learn anything from Troy, that's for sure." Hannah told us as I laughed.

"Who taught you how to write your name and multiplication tables and basketball?" Troy asked her.

"Mom and dad taught me all of that except basketball. That was all your doing." Hannah told him as he grinned.

"You're darn right that basketball was all my doing. And I'm going to teach our siblings that too. You know we have to come up with names?" Troy told Hannah as she sighed.

"Yeah I know and there are so many names out there that it's going to be hard." Hannah told him as I smiled.

"How did you figure out your names, Gabi?" Hannah asked as I looked at her.

"Christina was an old family name and I've always loved the name Lucas." I told them as they grinned.

"You're a lot of help Gabi." Troy told me as I smiled.

"How about you each pick girls and boys names and then bring them to your mom and dad and discuss it as a family?" I asked them as they looked at me.

"Yeah right. It would never get done." Hannah told me as I laughed.

"Find Troy, you pick girl names you like and Hannah you pick boy names you like. Once you've found the ones you like, talk it out and decided their names." I told them as they looked at each other.

"That sounds like a great idea. Thank Gabi." Troy told me as he kissed my lips.

"How about you and I go out tonight?" I asked Troy as he turned towards me.

"Isn't the guy supposed to ask the girl out?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"I'm breaking tradition. So do you want to?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Of course I would love to. I'll come over about 7?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Um. . . no. I'll come over to your house to pick you up. It's only right." I told him as he grinned.

"Fine we'll do it your way." Troy told me as the screen door opened and my mom and his parents stepped out.

"So this is where you guys disappeared to?" Jack asked us as we smiled.

"Yeah we were having a sibling's discussion." Troy told his dad as we all grinned.

"Well we're going home and I need you two to come with." Dana told us as we grinned.

"Ok. Gabi I will see you at 7." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I'll be there. See you hottie!" I told him as I kissed him and as he swung me around.

"Bye gorgeous." Troy told me as I walked into the house. I could hear him laughing as I closed the front door.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

I just picked Troy up for our date. We decided to walk down to town. We linked our hand together and started walking. Troy bent down and kissed my cheek.

"You're acting very strangely tonight." I told him as he squeezed my hand.

"I'm just in a good mood. It's great to see my parents so happy. Everyone around me is happy." Troy told me as I smiled.

"You're right about that. I feel bad though." I told him as he looked at me.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked as I looked up at him.

"I feel bad because we haven't spent any time with our friends." I told him as he looked at me.

"It will be ok, Gabi. They know that we're going through a lot right now." Troy told me as he pulled me into a park.

"I know but I just feel bad because we've abandoned them." I told him as he smiled.

"I think our friends are getting along quite finely without us." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Troy you've been holding out from me. What do you know that I don't?" I asked him as he picked me up.

"Well apparently we aren't the only cute couple anymore!" Troy told me as I laughed.

"We were never the cute couple. Now tell me who is getting friendly!" I told him grinning.

"Oh but we were always the cutest couple. Taylor and Chad have gotten together; Kelsi and Jason, Sharpay and Zeke, and Ryan has gotten with someone but I haven't found out yet." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Leave it to my boyfriend the gossip queen." I told him as shock covered his face.

"You did not just say that. Take it back Gabriella Marie Montez!" Troy told me as he swung me around.

"Never Troy Douglas Bolton!" I told him as he continued to spin me around.

"Are you two done getting your sexual frustrations out?" I heard a familiar voice yell from across the park. I turned to Troy and looked at him. He just grinned.

"Chad Danforth you are a dead man when I see you!" I yelled as the gang, also know as our friends, came forward.

"Well I'm right here Gabi, you can just kill me now and I will be a happy man." Chad told me as Troy punched him.

"That's my girlfriend dude. Go suck up to yours." Troy told him as we all laughed.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them as they all laughed.

"I can see when we aren't wanted. Let's go guys." Sharpay told the group as they started to walk away.

"Wait! I was just surprised you guys are here!" I told them as I started to laugh.

"Troy called us and asked us to meet you guys at the park so here we are." Taylor told me as I grinned.

"You are amazing. I love you!" I told Troy as I hugged him.

"Aww! You guys are so cute together!" The entire group told us as we smiled.

"Now we need to catch up." I told them as we sat down on the grass.

"For the past week or so you two have been ghost soldiers. Care to explain?" Ryan asked as Troy and I grinned.

"We've been busy. I just found out that my mom adopted a little girl and boy so I've been busy with that." I told them as the girls awed.

"When are they coming to your house?" Kelsi asked me as I grinned.

"My mom and I have to go pick them up on Saturday. I've been setting up the room and all the things like that." I told them.

"All right that excuses Gabi, now what about you Troy?" Jason asked as we all laughed.

"We found out that my mom's pregnant and so I've been busy with painting the room and getting it ready." Troy told them as the girls awed again.

"What is she having?" Taylor asked as the guys rolled their eyes.

"A little girl and a little boy. My parents decided to let Hannah and I decide on names." Troy told them as I smiled.

"You both are getting sibling all around." Chad told us as we both grinned.

We spent the rest of the night at the park just talking and catching up on what everyone was doing. It was fun just sitting there talking and not worrying about anything going on in our lives.

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**Let me know what you think I should name Troy's siblings. I need names! As always please review and let me know if you have any ideas!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I found time in amongst all the studying to sit down and type this up. I own nothing but the characters not in the movie!**

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Before I knew it, it was Saturday which meant the day that my mom and I were going to pick up my new siblings from the hospital. I was nervous to say the least. We left at 9 on our way to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital my mom led me to a room where a woman was laying on the bed. She smiled at my mom and me as we entered.

"Anna, I was so happy when I received word that you would be adopting my children." The lady told my mom as I smiled.

"It was not a problem, Megan. Gabi and I were just talking about adopting another child because our house is so big. Now we have two little ones." My mom told her as I smiled.

"Are you excited Gabriella?" Megan asked me as I looked at her.

"Yeah but I'm a little nervous too." I told her as a nurse came into the room.

"You two must be the adoptive family." The nurse asked us as we both nodded our heads.

"Well let me go get the babies and I will be right back." The nurse told us as I looked at my mom. She grinned at me as I grinned back.

A few minutes passed before I heard something in the hall. I saw the nurse pushing two carts with my siblings in the bassinets. I smiled as I peered over and saw my siblings.

"You want to hold one of them?" The nurse asked me as my smile got wider.

"Sure. I would love to." I told her as she picked up my sister and handed her to me.

I carefully went over to the rocking chair that was in the room and sat down. I rocked my sister back and forth while looking her over. She had dark brown hair and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. When I looked into her eyes, they reminded me of Troy's. I smiled at her and ran my finger over her hands and her face. I looked up and smiled at my mom.

"So what have you decided to name your sister, Gabriella?" Megan asked me as I smiled.

"Christina Maria Montez. Christina was my grandmother's name and Maria is mom's middle name." I told her as I continued to rock my sister back to sleep.

"That's a very pretty name. But don't the two of you share the same middle name?" Megan asked me.

"Nope. Tina's is Maria and mine is Marie." I told her as she smiled.

"Are you going to call her Tina?" Megan asked me as I smiled.

"Yes because Christina will only be when she's in trouble." I told her as my mom laughed.

"Just like you. Gabriella is only if you're in trouble and Gabi is what everyone calls you." Mom told Megan as I smiled.

"What about your brother? What is his name?" Megan asked as I looked over at mom who held Lucas.

"Lucas Diego Montez." I told them as my mom nodded in agreement.

"I like it as well. Why did you pick Lucas?" Megan asked as Tina became fussy.

"I've always like the name Lucas so I decided to name my brother that. Diego was my grandfather's name. It sounded good with Lucas." I told Megan as I place Tina on my shoulder and started to rub her back.

We spent the next few hours getting to know our new family members. Mom had to finish signing the papers before they would release Tina and Lucas. I gently placed Tina into her car seat and buckled her in. She just snuggled down as I covered her with a light blanket. Mom did the same with Lucas as I looked over at her.

"You ready to go, Gabi?" Mom asked me as I smiled.

"Yeah. Thank you so much Megan. Feel free to stop by any time." I told her as she smiled.

"You guys are the ones I should be thanking. I might take you guys up on your offer to stop by." Megan told me as I gave her a hug.

I grabbed Tina's car seat and walked out of the room. My mom and I walked down to our car and placed the two car seats in the back seat.

"You know this kind of changes things." Mom told me as I smiled.

"What do you mean?" I asked her as she smiled.

"I'm going to need your help with these two. I can't do it all." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Whatever you need let me know." I told her as she pulled away from the hospital.

We were soon home and I grabbed Tina's car seat and headed inside. To my surprise, I saw Troy, Hannah, Jack, and Dana waiting on the porch for us. My smile grew as I saw them.

"Hey guys. What are you guys doing here?" Mom asked them as she walked up the steps.

"We wanted to be the first to welcome these two home." Dana told us as mom and I both smiled.

"Well thank you guys for coming. Come on in." Mom told them as she opened the door.

I went and sat on the swing. I gently took Tina out of her car seat and placed her on my shoulder.

"So how's the sister thing going so far?" Troy asked me as he sat on the swing.

"So far I would say it's going ok. She's only been fussy a little." I told him as I laid her in my arms.

"She looks just like you." Troy told me as he looked at Tina.

"That's what Megan and mom told me. I can't see it." I told him as he grinned.

"She's a Gabi twin all right." Troy told me as I smiled.

"When she opens her eyes, look at the color of them. They remind me of yours." I told him as Tina opened her eyes.

"Hey little one." Troy said as Tina looked at him.

"You want to hold her?" I asked him as he grinned.

"Sure." Troy told me as I carefully handed Tina to him.

I sat there and watch him interact with Tina. Just watching him made me fall in love with him all over again. I was thinking about years down the road and how he would be when we had kids of our own. I smiled at him.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Troy asked me as he rocked the swing.

"I'm just thinking about how much I love you and the future." I told him as he grinned.

"Thinking about us having kids one day?" Troy asked me as I turned to him, shock written on my face.

"How did you know?" I asked him as he handed Tina back to me.

"I've know you that long and I know when you think of something. And usually when you say you're thinking about the future, you're usually thinking about kids or marriage." Troy told me as I leaned in and kissed him.

"You're so smart. And that's why I love you." I told him as I put Tina back in her car seat.

"Well I just happen to love you too." Troy told me as I giggled.

"You're crazy." I told him as I looked down at Tina peacefully sleeping in her car seat.

"Crazy about you babe!" Troy told me as he grabbed my hand.

"Let's go inside and be with our families." I told him as he picked up Tina's car seat and headed inside.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

July 15, 2006

Life in my house was chaotic for a while until everyone fell into a routine. Tina and Lucas adjusted to living with us and they fell into a normal sleep pattern.

Troy and I were still going strong. We would usually spend either Friday or Saturday night on a date or just hanging out. He would usually come over and help me with Lucas and Tina. He was so sweet about it. Hannah was becoming a permanent fixture in our house. She loved coming over and helping me with Tina and Lucas. She was getting prepared for when her brother and sister came. Both Troy and Hannah were helping me with getting use to being a sister and how to have patience.

Our friends understood that I couldn't hang out with them all the time. The girls would usually come over and help me with my siblings. And then there were times I would put them in the stroller and go to the mall with my friends. It was great.

Lucas and Tina were a month old and it was so much watching the two of them grow and explore new things. It's so much fun and I'm having a blast.

"Gabi will you get Lucas for me and bring him down here?" Mom asked me as I laid in my room.

I went into the sunny yellow room and saw Lucas lying in his crib with his hands trying to grab his feet. I smiled as I picked him up. I quickly changed his diaper and then headed downstairs. I saw mom sitting on a chair feeding Tina her bottle.

"Do you want to grab his bottle from the microwave and feed him?" Mom asked me as I opened the microwave.

I quickly tested the milk on my forearm and then stuck the nipple in Lucas's mouth. He started drinking as I sat down on a bar stool.

"Got any plans for tonight?" Mom asked me as I smiled.

"I don't think so. Troy was supposed to call me later on today but who knows." I told her as she smiled.

"Well you could always curl up and read a book." Mom told me as I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not like that anymore mom. I might go down the park and hang out there later." I told her as I burped Lucas.

"Where do you want me to put him?" I asked her as she looked at me.

"You can go put him in his swing for a while. And answer the phone." Mom told me as the phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered the phone as I put Lucas into his swing.

"Hey babe. What's going on over there?" Troy asked me as I grinned at Lucas.

"Nothing much. I just fed Lucas and I'm sitting here watching him in his swing. What's up with you?" I asked him.

"I'm sitting here watching a movie with Hannah. I was wondering if you wanted to get out of your house tonight and hang out?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"That sounds great. What time works for you?" I asked him as I smiled at Lucas.

"How about 7 o'clock? I'll come by and pick you up." Troy asked me as I grinned.

"That sounds great and I will see you then." I told him as we said our goodbyes.

I ran into the kitchen and hung the phone up. My mom shot me a smile and I grinned.

"What are you so happy about Princess?" Mom asked me using my nickname.

"I've got plans tonight." I told her as I skipped around the kitchen with my mom laughing at me.

"With whom?" My mom asked me as I grinned.

"You should recognize a Troy trace now. He's coming to pick me up at 7 tonight." I told her as she grinned.

"What are you going to wear?" Mom asked me as I looked at her.

"I have no idea. What do you think I should wear?" I asked her as she grinned.

"Take Lucas up and put him to bed as I put Tina to bed and then meet me in my room." Mom told me as I went and gently took Lucas from the swing.

I walked upstairs, placed Lucas in his crib, and then covered him up with a blanket. I watched mom place Tina gently in her bed and then we both walked out of the room.

"I was at the mall the other day with Tina and Lucas and found this." Mom told me as she handed me a box.

As I opened it I grinned. Inside laid a red linen skirt that magically fit me.

"How did you know I wanted this?" I asked her as she looked at me.

"I have my sources. Do you have a shirt that will go with it?" Mom asked me as I grinned.

"The white tank top I got for my birthday will go perfectly with it. I love it mom. Thank you so much!" I told her as I gave her a hug.

The rest of the afternoon, I hung out with my family. My mom and I curled up and watch movies until Tina and Lucas woke up. All four of us sat in front of the TV and watched an old movie. It felt great just spending time, just the four of us.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

July 15, 2006 7 o'clock pm

I heard the doorbell as I finished getting ready. I yelled downstairs to my mom letting her know that it was ok to invite Troy in. I heard the two of them talking as I walked downstairs.

"Hey babe. You look amazing!" Troy told me as I leaned into him and gave him a kiss.

"Thank you. Ready to go?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I'll have her home by 11. See you later Anna." Troy told my mom as he opened the door and we walked out.

"Hey Gabi and Troy, have fun tonight." Mom told us as she shut the door.

"It feels like it's been forever since we've really gotten a chance to sit down and talk. So tonight, you and I are going to have one of our world famous heart to heart talks." Troy told me as we walked into the park and sat down on a bench.

"That sounds like a great idea. Thank you for thinking about it." I told him as I grabbed his hand.

"Do you want to start or do you want me?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I will. I have gone through every emotion possible for the last month. I have been happy, sad, scared, and every emotion in between. I would not have gotten through without you and Hannah there helping me when I had questions. I'm glad I got to spend all that time with you and falling more in love with you in the process." I told him as he squeezed my hand.

"Well I've seen you in a whole new light now. Now you're an older sister and watching you with Tina and Lucas and I just fall more in love with you. Before I met you, it was basketball and basketball was my world. Now it's you and a little bit of basketball. You, besides Hannah, my unborn siblings, mom, and dad, are the most important person in the world. I love you and I love spending time with you." Troy told me as I leaned into him and gave him a kiss.

"You're going to make me cry." I told him as he smiled.

"Remember what I told you the first time I told you I liked you?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I can't remember. Care to refresh my memory?" I asked him as he grinned.

"Gladly. I told you I hope I make you cry so I can be the one who comforts you when you cry. Then I went on to say I want to be the one that you run to whether you had a good day or a bad day. I want to be the one you tell all your secrets to. That was back in August and now it's July. Can you believe we've almost been going out for a year?" Troy asked me as tears fell down my face.

"It's been a great year. All the memories we've made, all the times we've spent together, and all the memories that we hope we make in the future. What do you have plan for August 16?" I asked Troy as he grinned.

"What's August 16?" Troy asked me as my face fell with shock.

"I'm kidding baby. I have something up my sleeve but I'm not going to tell you because I want you to be surprised." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I bet you have something up your sleeve and I can't wait to see what you have planned." I told him as I leaned in and laid my head on his shoulder.

"You're going to be surprised. I hope to spend many more years to come with you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"You're cute and I'm glad you're my boyfriend." I told him as he grinned.

"She just told me I'm cute. I'm going to fly around the playground and fall backwards." Troy told me as I laughed.

"Get back over here." I told him as I stood up and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

I pulled him in and kissed him. We made out a little more before sat on a picnic bench and talked about random things that came to our minds.

He walked me home, promising me that we would spend more time together. I fell asleep with a huge smile on my face.

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**There you guys go. Enjoy and please review. **

**Next chapter:  
First day of school and some surprises!**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I decided I couldn't wait any longer and started to type this up. Enjoy! I only own the characters not in the film!

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_August 16, 2006 5:30 pm_

"Mom he's going to be here in thirty minutes." I told her as I ran down the stairs.

"Gabriella Marie Montez, calm your self down right this instant." Mom told me as she picked up Tina.

"But mom this is huge. It's been a year since we've been going out. I'm nervous." I told her as she smiled.

"Young love. Got to love it." Mom told me as I ran back upstairs to my room.

"You will be fine. Now get dress and I'll help you do your hair." Mom told me as she laid Tina in her crib and walked into the adjacent bathroom.

I quickly slipped on my red skirt with my white tank top. I sat on the chair in the bathroom as my mom took all the curlers out of my hair. She quickly put half of my curled hair up and left the other half down. She smiled at me through the mirror.

"There you go. You look beautiful." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Thank you. Are you going to be ok here tonight with Tina and Lucas?" I asked her as she smiled.

"I will be fine. Don't worry about us. Just focus on your date tonight." Mom told me as the doorbell rang.

"I'll go get it. Get some shoes on and come on down." Mom told me as I ran to my room. I heard her go downstairs and let Troy in.

I walked downstairs to see Troy dressed up in khakis and a button down shirt. I smiled at him as I walked down the last few steps.

"Hey Troy. How's it going?" I asked him as he grinned.

"You look beautiful babe. It's going good. These are for you." Troy told me as he handed me a dozen pink gerbera daisies.

"They are beautiful. Let me go put them in water and then we can go." I told him as I kissed his cheek.

I quickly put the flowers in a vase and walked back to the entry way.

"Ready, Gabi?" Troy asked me as I slipped my denim jacket on.

"Yeah. Let's go. Mom I won't be too late." I told her as she smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Have fun you two." Mom told me as we walked out to Troy's car.

"So where are we going?" I asked him as he opened the door for me.

"I can't tell you that. It's a surprise and you wouldn't want me to ruin a surprise would you?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"No I wouldn't want you to ruin a surprise you worked so hard on." I told him as he drove to an unfamiliar place.

"We're almost there. Don't strain your brain too much. I don't think you've ever heard of this place." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I'm sure I will love it." I told him as he grinned.

"I hope so. It took me forever to get a reservation." Troy told me as I looked out the window.

Troy drove for about another five minutes until he stopped at a place that wasn't familiar to me. He got out and came around to open my door. I grabbed his hand as he helped me out of the car. We link our fingers together as he led me to a building. Troy quickly opened the door and led me inside.

"Where are we Troy?" I asked him as we walked up the candle lit stairs.

"This is an old run down building that use to be a restaurant. It closed several years ago." Troy told me as he opened a door.

"Then why did you have to make a reservation?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I wanted to throw you off a little on where we were going. So what do you think?" Troy asked me as I gasped.

Around the entire room were pictures of the two of us. Some photos just had Troy and I; others had our friends; and even more had photos of us with our families.

"Where did you get all these photos?" I asked him as I looked around.

"I have my ways. Actually, whenever someone took photos of us, I always asked for doubles. A lot of these are from your mom and mine." Troy told me as I continued to look at the pictures.

"I love this one the best." I told him pointing to a black and white one of us sitting on the swing on my front porch.

"I think my mom took that one. She saw us staring off and decided to take it." Troy told me as I smiled.

In the picture I had laid my head on Troy's shoulder and he was playing with the ring on my finger. We both had faint smiles on our faces.

"Thank you. I love it." I told him as he grinned.

"Well our night is just starting. This is only the beginning." Troy told me as we sat down on what looked like an old antique park bench.

"Where did you get all the props in the room?" I asked him as I looked at the park bench.

"This park bench has been in my family for generations. This is where my grandfather proposed to my grandma and where my dad proposed to my mom." Troy told me as I grinned.

"You are proposing to me are you Troy Bolton?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"I was thinking about it and I realized that I don't want to be engaged until we're both out of high school. But I am going to do something special." Troy told me as I smiled.

"What's that?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Here this is for you." Troy told me as he handed me a velvet box.

I slowly opened it to see a silver ring. It had a tiny diamond in the ring. I smiled as he slipped it on my finger.

"This is a promise ring. I promise, when the time is right, I will ask you to be my wife. But until that time, wear this knowing that I love you and I will continue to love you as time goes on." Troy told me as he kissed me.

By the time he got done talking, tears were rolling down my face. Troy rubbed his thumb over my tears, pushing them away. I smiled as I found my voice.

"It's beautiful Troy. You didn't have to get me a promise ring to show your love, because I experience your love everyday. Every time you kiss me or give me one of your smiles, I know how much you love me." I told him as he smiled.

"I know I didn't have to get it for you but I wanted you to have something physical that showed my love." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Well thank you. I love it." I told him as he stood up.

"Come with me. I've got some other things to show you." Troy told me as I smiled.

Troy took my hand in his and led me down a hallway. I looked into the room and saw a table set for two.

"Oooh a romantic dinner set for two. Did you set this up?" I asked him as he grinned.

"Yeah and I even cooked what we are having for dinner." Troy told me as he pulled my chair out.

"I'm sure I will love it." Troy told me as he removed the plate and replaced it with a plate with food.

I grinned when I realized it was all my favorite foods. There were green beans, chicken alfredo, and ice tea to go with it. I grinned over at Troy as he started to eat.

"What?" Troy asked me as I giggled.

"Nothing. I'm just amazed how talented you really are." I told him as he smiled.

"Why thank you. I haven't shown you my many talents yet." Troy told me as I held his hand.

We talked about general things as we ate. After dinner, we were off to another room. I walked in and immediately saw the balcony. Troy opened the doors as we walked out to look at the stars.

"Aren't they amazing?" I asked Troy as he sighed.

"They're cool but I'm looking at something more amazing." Troy told me as I blushed.

"You're pretty amazing yourself." I told him as I pulled him closer and we kissed.

We were soon pulled apart when we heard pop and big bangs. There was a firework presentation going on. Troy and I stood there and watched the fireworks. I turned to him and just looked at him. He looked content and that's how I felt. I grinned as I turned back to the fireworks.

That night was amazing. We sat on the park bench and just talked. Troy then took me home and we sat in my living room watching a movie. He went home around midnight after giving me a goodbye kiss.

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_September 4, 2006 7:10 am_

"This sucks." I yelled as I stood in my closet, looking for something to wear.

"Gabi keep it down. I just got Lucas to go back to sleep." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Sorry but I have nothing to wear." I told her as she smiled.

"What about all those clothes that I just bought you? There's got to be something in here you can wear." Mom told me as she came into my closet.

She picked out a pair of green corduroys, a yellow tank top, and my orange jacket. I looked it over and decided that looked good. I quickly got dressed and then went downstairs.

"You're going to be late." Mom told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Mom we're juniors now so they really don't care about people being late or not." I told her as she smiled.

"Don't come complaining to me when you receive a detention." Mom told me as I grinned.

"I'll just drag Troy and Chad with me when I get mine. Speaking of Troy, where is he?" I asked her as she grinned.

"I have no idea." Mom told me as there was a knock on the back door.

"There he is." I told her as I went and opened the door.

"You're late!" I told him as he grinned.

"Sorry I had to give Hannah her prep talk because today she is starting 6th grade." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Well we're in 11th grade now and if I get a detention, you're going down with me." I told him as he grinned.

"You won't get a detention the first day. My dad is our homeroom teacher this year. He won't be that hard on you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Well let go so we don't put him in that position." I told him as he grinned and as I grabbed my book bag.

"Bye Anna. We'll see you after school." Troy told my mom as he grabbed my hand.

"Bye mom." I told her as we walked out of the house and into Troy's car.

After a short drive, we arrived at the school. I opened my door and joined Troy in the front of his car. We linked our fingers together and walked into school. I saw a lot of kids just standing around, catching up on all the gossip from the summer. Troy and I walked down the hall into our first class together.

Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, and Ryan were all there. We sat down and started talking with them.

"Hey guys. It's the first day of school again." Troy told them as we all laughed.

"I'm so ready to be done." Chad told us as Taylor and I looked at him.

"Dude you haven't even made it through the first period yet. How are you going to survive the next few months until Christmas Break?" I asked him as he grinned.

"That's easy. Basketball is going to keep me and your boy busy. Are you gonna come watch me?" Chad asked me as I grinned.

"I won't come see you but I'll definitely come see Troy play." I told him as he grin fell.

"You fell into that one, Chad." Taylor told her boyfriend as he frowned.

"Everyone's picking on me and school hasn't even started." Chad told us as Coach Bolton came into the room.

"And the day doesn't get any better!" Chad said quietly as we all sat down.

"You want to share that with the class, Danforth?" Coach Bolton asked as we all broke out in laughter.

"No Coach Bolton." Chad said as he shot me a glare which I gladly shot back.

"Ok. Let's get started then. When I call your name, say here." Coach Bolton said as a new school year began.

The day seemed to drag on. There wasn't an end. We didn't get any homework considering Troy and I had his dad for homeroom and science. Troy didn't seem too happy about that one.

"Welcome to Chemistry, class. I am your teacher, Mr. Bolton or Coach Bolton." Troy dad told us as we sat down.

"Man, why did your dad have to become a science teacher?" Chad whisper to Troy as I shook my head.

"He likes science. I don't know. Ask him sometime." Troy whispered back as his dad overheard them.

"Troy, Chad do the two of you want to share your conversation with the class?" Coach Bolton asked the two of them as I shook my head.

"No sir. We were just talking about Chemistry." Chad told Troy's dad as I tried not to laugh.

"Now that we have everyone's attention, we can start class." Coach told the class as Troy and Chad started whispering again.

"Man what happened with your dad? He's like evil." Chad whispered to Troy.

"I don't know. He told me he was going to be tougher on his classes this year." Troy whispered back.

"Man why did we have to get him for a teacher?" Chad asked as I grinned.

"I don't know. I think this is God's plan to torture you and I." Troy told Chad as Coach Bolton caught the last part.

"Troy, Chad pay attention. I'm not going to tell the two of you again." Coach told them as I giggled.

"You two better watch it or you're going to get detention." I told them as they looked at me.

"Troy's dad wouldn't give his two star players detention." Chad told me as Coach glared at him.

"Chad, Troy you two have just earned yourself a detention. Come see me after basketball practice." Coach told them as I grinned at them.

"Told you he would. Now's you just got busted!" I told them as they glared at me.

Thankfully, Chemistry was the last class of the day so I waited for Troy as he talked to his dad. I grinned as he came out of the classroom.

"Congratulations Mr. Bolton. You just won a one way pass to detention." I told him as he grabbed my hand.

"Drop it Gabi. I have to go to basketball practice. If you want to wait for me, I'll walk you home." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I can do that. I'll see you after practice." I told him as he walked towards the gym.

"Did you enjoy that class, Gabi?" Coached asked me as I smiled.

"I told the two of them that you would be giving out detentions, but did they listen, heck no." I told him as he grinned.

"I told Troy I would be tougher in all my classes this year. I would have thought he listened." Jack told me as I grinned.

"What are you going to make them do in detention?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I'm thinking that there's a fence that needs to be painted at my house and I'm thinking I have just the boys to do it." Jack told me as I grinned.

"That's a good one. I might have to come over and hang out with Hannah just to watch that." I told him as he laughed.

"They will be up bright and early Saturday morning painting. Just stop over and you can watch over them." Jack told me as he smiled.

"I might come over and play a little basketball just to keep an eye on them two." I told him as he gave me a look.

"You play basketball?" Jack asked me as I gave him a confused look.

"Yeah I've been playing for years. Why?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Hannah's coming here after school because Dana has a meeting and I was wondering if you could keep her occupied as I run practice." Jack asked me as I grinned.

"I would be happy to." I told him as Hannah came through the doors looking disgusted.

"Hey Hannah. You're going to be hanging out with Gabi as I run practice, ok?" Jack asked his daughter as she grinned.

"That's sounds great." Hannah told her dad as we all walked towards the gym.

Hannah and I sat on the bleachers and talked as the guys warmed up.

"I've got something to share with you. And you can't let Troy know that I told you because he'll be mad." I told her as she grinned.

"Is it juicy?" Hannah asked me as I grinned.

"Yeah. Troy and Chad have detention with your dad this Saturday." I told her as she laughed.

"That's great. I knew Troy wasn't as bright as he seems." Hannah told me as we both erupted in laughter.

I saw the team look over at the two of us and gave us a look. I whispered something to Hannah and she quickly agreed.

We walked out to the gym floor, grabbing a basketball on our way, and went down to one of the nets and started shooting. Then I kicked off my heels and Hannah and I started to play one on one. For an 11 year old, she was pretty good. I grinned as I noticed that Troy was watching.

"You know you got the attention of my brother, right?" Hannah asked me as I grinned.

"I know and I'm waiting to see what he's going to do." I told her as Jack yelled at the guys to get stretching. Jack came over and gave us a look.

"You guys are being a distraction." Jack told Hannah and me as we grinned.

"We know and we're sorry. But it's so much fun!" Hannah told him as I laughed.

The rest of practice was uneventful. Troy hit Chad in the head with the ball a couple of times which kept Hannah and me laughing. After practice, Troy walked me home and gave me a kiss and then headed home to find out his detention punishment was.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I just have to get through Wednesday and I'll be able to update a lot more! Thank you to all my readers! You guys ROCK! I only own the characters that weren't in the movie!

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_September 9, 2006 8:00 am_

"Hey mom." I said as I walked into the kitchen and went straight for the refrigerator.

"Hey Gabi. It's a Saturday and you're up awfully early." Mom told me as I grinned.

"Yeah. Troy and Chad's detention is today and I want to go harass them a little bit." I told her grinning.

"You're becoming more and more evil everyday, young lady." Mom told me as I laughed.

"Why thank you. I'm enjoying it." I told her laughing and as I got my slip on tennis shoes on.

"Are you going to be over there for most of the morning?" Mom asked me as I sat down.

"I think so but I'll call if Troy, Hannah, Chad, and I all decide to do something." I told her as she smiled.

"Ok. I think I'm going to go over to Megan's with Tina and Lucas so she can spend some time with them." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Ok. I'll take my key incase you're not home when I get home." I told her as she smiled.

"Don't torture the boys too much and behave, Gabriella." Mom told me as I grinned.

"Don't I always behave? I'm ashamed that you even had to tell me." I told her grinning.

"Behave. I'm going to be asking Dana about you." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Have fun at Megan's and I'll be home later." I told her as I walked out the back door.

I decided to run over to Troy's house. I ran up the front steps and saw Dana and Hannah sitting on the front porch.

"Hey guys. What's happening?" I asked them as I sat on the porch steps.

"Hey Gabi. It's awfully early for you. We're just sitting out here talking." Dana told me as she smiled.

"I wanted to see Troy's punishment. Are they out back?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Yeah they're painting the one fence. Go harass them." Dana told me as I walked out to the back.

What I saw, to say the least, cracked me up. Both boys were in overalls with white painter's hats on. I covered my mouth as I quietly shut the gate.

"Man this sucks. I would have liked it better to serve detention at school." Troy told Chad as I quietly listened on. I was behind a tree that was in Troy's backyard, so they couldn't see me.

"Man my mom started laughing when I told her that I had gotten a detention and it was with your dad. She thought that was the funniest thing in the world." Chad told him as I watched them paint.

"It sucks. And the bad part about it was that I was going to go hang out at Gabi's all day." Troy told Chad as I smiled.

"Ditto but not at Gabi's. I was going to hang out at Taylor's all day." Chad told Troy as Troy grinned.

"So what's the scoop with you and Taylor? Are you guys dating or are you leading her on?" Troy asked his best friend.

"I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend but I haven't done it yet. How should I ask her? How did you ask Gabi?" Chad asked Troy as I grinned.

"I crawled up to her balcony and sang to her but that probably wouldn't work for Taylor. Just get her a bunch of flowers and ask her." Troy told Chad as I grinned.

"Nah that wouldn't work. That's not Taylor's style. Girls are so confusing." Chad told Troy as I laughed.

"Sometimes I think it's on purpose. Like the other day I asked Gabi if she wanted to do something and she said she didn't care. Then I threw out a bunch of suggestions and she turned down every single one of them. Sometimes she drives me nuts but I wouldn't trade her in a heartbeat." Troy told Chad as I grinned.

Just standing there listening in on their conversation, I fell more in love with my boyfriend. I grinned as I listened some more.

"Dude you have a great girlfriend. Look how she put me in my place and told me I would get a detention. Remind me to start listening to her." Chad told him as Troy grinned.

"I am pretty lucky, aren't I?" Troy asked Chad as they both grinned.

"Yeah you are. You make us realize that true love does exist and it can come around anytime. Keep hold onto Gabi, Troy, she's something special and I hope nothing ever goes bad for the two of you." Chad told him as I grinned.

"That's the hard part. Keeping her because I know so many other guys like her but she's my girlfriend and I have to keep reminding myself that she loves me and no one else." Troy said as Chad nodded.

"I'm hoping that the same when Taylor and I are together. If we ever get together." Chad told him as Troy grinned.

"Keep the faith dude. Just ask her, the worst she can do is turn you down. But knowing Taylor like I do, I think she likes you back just as much as you like her." Troy told him as they returned to painting.

"How are you guys doing?" Jack asked coming out of the house. He saw me and grinned.

"Good. The fence is almost all done." Troy told his dad as Jack gave them a look.

"Now what's the moral of this punishment?" Jack asked as I grinned.

"Not to talk in class when you are trying to explain something." Chad told Jack proudly and as I started clapping.

"I think they finally learned the lesson." I told them as I came out from where I was hiding.

"How long have you been standing there?" Chad asked me as my eyes went wide.

"Um . . . not very long!" I told him as I went and stood behind Jack. Troy laughed as he saw my face.

"Gabriella Maria Montez! How long have you been listening in?" Chad asked me as I went over by Troy.

"Long enough to know that you're gonna ask Taylor to be your girlfriend." I told him grinning.

"You're dead girl. That information cannot leave this backyard, got it?" Chad asked me as I smiled.

"Scouts honor. I will not tell a soul." I told him as I held up two fingers.

"You better not or you will be dead when I see you next time." Chad told me as I grinned.

"Are you going to stand there and let him threaten me like that?" I asked Troy as he and his dad started laughing.

"Yeah because you earned it. You shouldn't have been listening!" Troy told me as I frowned.

"All right. I'm sorry Chad. I promise that information will not leak from my mouth." I told him as I held out my hand.

"It better not." Chad told me as he shook my hand. He then picked me up and swung me around.

"Put me down Danforth!" I yelled as he continued to swing me around and as I was laughing.

"But I thought you liked doing that." Chad told me as I grinned.

"I do but you took me by surprise." I told him as he grinned.

"So why are you here, Gabi? I mean I'm glad you're here but it's a surprise." Troy told me as I smiled.

"You're dad and mom told me to come harass the two of you for your detention so here I am." I told him as he turned to his dad.

"I can't believe you told her to come over here." Troy said as I laughed.

"I've never seen you do manual labor so it's quite entertaining for me." I told him as he started to chase me around the yard.

"Montez, you're dead when I get my hands on you." Troy yelled as I laughed.

"Bolton, leave your aggression on the basketball court. Besides you will never catch me! I'm the gingerbread woman!" I yelled as I continued to run away from him.

Chad and Jack both watched the two of us as they stood right where we were running.

"Montez, I can kick your butt on the basketball court!" Troy yelled as we continued to run around the yard.

"Bolton I can kick your butt running which I am currently doing!" I yelled back as I saw Dana and Hannah come out the back door.

"Troy Douglas Bolton, why are you chasing Gabi around?" Dana yelled as I laughed.

"She made fun of me doing manual labor, telling me she's never seen me do labor before." Troy told his mom as he walked up to her.

"He does it all the time but every now and then Jack and I have to get on his butt about taking the trash out." Dana told me as I grinned.

"Well now I've seen it and technically I just won that little race." I told Troy as he came up to me.

"I let you win." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Um . . . sorry. What did you just say?" I asked him as his grin fell from his face.

"I LET YOU WIN!" Troy yelled as I threw my arm around his shoulder and as I leaned into him.

"You must never let me win anything. I have to win it fair and square." I told him as he grinned.

"Fine you won fair and square!" Troy told me as I kissed his cheek and grinned.

"Troy just lost to a girl!" I chanted as Hannah, Dana, Chad, and Jack all laughed.

"Hey at least I lost to the best girl possible." Troy told me as he gave me a kiss.

I stayed at the Bolton's most of the afternoon and into the night. Troy decided that he had to walk me home.

"Did you really mean everything you said this afternoon?" I asked him as we held hands, walking home from his house.

"What did I all say?" Troy asked me as I grinned and gently swung our hands back and forth.

"That I drive you nuts but you wouldn't trade me for the world?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I love you, Gabi. Nothing is going to ever change that. You are my true love, my soul mate. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Good because I'm not going anywhere. I love you too, Troy." I told him as we continued to walk.

"Did you hear everything I told Chad?" Troy asked me as I grinned slightly.

"Yeah about how there are other guys who like me and you're worried that I won't return your love. There is not a doubt in my mind that we are going to make this work. You and I are dedicated to this relationship and with me it's not going to change anytime in the future. I love you Troy Bolton and nobody else!" I told him as he kissed me.

"I love you too Gabriella Montez. I just have to keep reminding myself that you're my girlfriend and nothing is going to change that." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Well this is me. I guess I will see you Monday in school." I told him as he grinned.

"Hey Gabi before you go, remember that promise ring I gave you. That tells you right there that I'm dedicated for life." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Thanks. I'll see you Monday if not before." I told him as I gave him a kiss. I started to walk towards my front porch when Troy stopped me.

"Hey Gabi. Thanks for the talk. I love you too." Troy told me as he pulled me closer and gave me another one of his earth shattering kisses.

"No problem! I've got to go now." I told him as he gave me one more kiss.

I walked in and walked straight to the twins' room and gave them each a kiss good night. Then I walked into my room and wrote about the day I had in my diary.

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Now please go review and tell me what you thought of it! If you have any ideas for upcoming chapters let me know! 


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! Guess what? EXAM WEEK IS OVER! I'm so happy so now I get to update a lot more! I only own the characters not in the movie!**

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_October 15, 2006 8:00 am_

I sat in my first block class looking at the clock. I sighed and turned back to what the teacher was talking about. The minutes were ticking by so slowly. I looked back at the clock and saw that only 30 seconds had passed.

"Gabi chill. He's probably just running late." Chad told me as I glared at him.

I turned and looked back at the clock. Our teacher's phone rang as I kept my eye on the clock. The teacher turned to me and called me up to her desk.

"Gabi the front desk would like to see you. Take all your stuff with you." Mrs. Ryan told me as I smiled.

I grabbed my stuff and headed out the door. Chad shot me a look of good luck as I walked out of the room.

I walked down the hall, my heels clicking as I walked. I smiled at some teachers whom I had passed. I opened the door to the office to see Troy standing there with Hannah.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as he grinned at me. I said hello to Hannah before Troy started to talk.

"Mom went into labor at 3:30 this morning. Dad told us to come get you and come up to the hospital." Troy told me as I smiled.

"We're going to have a baby party?" I asked him and Hannah as they both grinned.

"Yeah. Dad wanted us to get our homework to work on and then get Hannah's and then come up to the hospital." Troy told me as we walked down the halls to our teacher's rooms.

We got both of our homework and then went to Hannah's school and got hers. We then stopped by McDonald's and got food. Then we went to the hospital to claim a waiting room. We made ourselves comfortable and settled in for the long wait. Jack came out about an hour after we got settled in.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" Jack asked us as we all smiled up at him.

"It's going good. We can ask you the same thing." Troy told his dad as Jack grinned.

"It's going good. The doctor thinks your mom will deliver in the next 4 hours or so." Jack told us as I smiled.

"Thank you for letting me come up here." I told him as he grinned.

"I knew you would be worried about why Troy wasn't in school so I got your mom to call in and had Troy come and get you." Jack told me as I smiled.

"You're right. I was worried but thank you again for letting me come up here." I told him as he turned around.

"I've got to go back to Dana but I'll come get you guys when it gets closer." Jack told us as he went back to Dana's room.

"So have you guys come up with names for your brother and sister?" I asked Troy and Hannah as they grinned.

"Yeah we have but we haven't told anyone. And you're not going to get it out of me." Troy told me as I grinned.

I looked over at Hannah and saw her looking at the ground. She was sitting over by herself. I walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"What's wrong Hannah?" I asked her as she looked up from the ground and looked at me.

"I'm scared." She told me simply as I looked at her smiling.

"There's nothing to be scared over. What are you scared about?" I asked her.

"I'm scared for mom's health and that the babies will be all right." Hannah told me as I smiled.

"Your mom is a strong woman. She will make it through this like a piece of cake. You have a strong brother and a strong sister. They are strong like you and Troy." I told her as she smiled.

"Thank you Gabi." Hannah told me as she gave me a hug. I returned the hug and saw Troy grinning at me.

Hannah, Troy, and I sat around working on homework waiting for time to pass. Finally what seemed like months, Jack came into the waiting room grinning.

"Your new siblings are here." Jack told us simply as we all grinned and hugged each other.

"When can we see mom?" Hannah asked Jack as he grinned and gave her a hug.

"They are going to move her to a private room and then you guys can see your mom and your new brother and sister." Jack told us as he looked at Troy.

"Ok. We'll wait. Let us know when she's settled in." Troy told his dad as he gave him a hug.

Troy turned to me and suddenly wrapped me in a hug and swung me around. I laughed as Hannah and Jack watch the two of us.

"Ok I'm going to get back to your mom and I'll come get you when she's in her room." Jack told us as he left the room.

"So what are you going to name them?" I asked Troy and Hannah as they both sat down.

"You're not going to get it out of us, Gabi! We are not going to tell you." Hannah told me as I pouted.

"Stop your pouting. It's not going to work." Troy told me as he kissed my lips.

I smiled as he hugged me. I looked at him and grinned at him.

"How do you both feel right now?" I asked him as he kissed me and hugged me.

"Excited, nervous, and a bunch of other emotions." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"What about you, Hannah?" I asked her as she grinned at me and gave me a hug.

"Pretty good. I'm every emotion from happy to excited." Hannah told me as I grinned.

"Hey guys you can come in now." Jack told us as Troy and Hannah went with their dad. Jack turned around and saw me standing put.

"Are you coming Gabi?" Jack asked me as I looked at him.

"I thought Troy and Hannah should meet their new siblings before I do." I told him as he grinned at me.

"Gabi you are all ready part of this family. Come on." Jack told me as he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Are you trying to make me cry?" I asked him as he gave me a hug.

"No but I have a feeling you will." Jack told me as I grinned at him.

"You're right. I probably will by the time this day is done." I told him as Troy, Hannah, Jack, and I all walked into Dana's hospital room.

We all saw Dana sitting up in bed with a twin in each arm. She grinned at us as she saw us come in. Troy and Hannah went up to each side of the bed while Jack and I stood at the front of the bed.

"Everyone this is your new brother and sister. Your brother was born at 12:14 this afternoon. He weighed 9 pounds 4 1/2 ounces. He was 21 inches long. You're sister was born at 12:30 this afternoon. She weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces. She was 19 inches long." She told us as he handed a baby to Troy and a baby to Hannah.

Hannah smiled as he held her brother; Troy grinned at me as he held his sister. I grinned as I looked at Dana.

"So what are their names, Troy and Hannah?" Dana asked her two oldest children as they both grinned at each other.

"We had an agreement that I would pick our sister's name while Hannah would pick our brother's name. Hannah would you like to go first?" Troy asked her as she grinned.

"Our brother's name is Nathaniel Matthew Bolton." Hannah told us as she gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Our sister's name is Sarah Marie Bolton." Troy told everyone as he grinned at me.

"I love both names." Dana told her children as she got tears in her eyes.

"Are you crying momma?" Hannah asked as she carefully sat down on the chair by the bed.

"Yeah because you both are growing up. And now we have two little ones that are just starting to grow up." Dana told us as she wiped away tears.

Troy caught my eye and motioned to come over to him. He carefully handed Sarah to me. I grinned at him as I sat down. I carefully kissed her head and softly rubbed my finger over her hands.

"Hi Sarah." I whispered carefully as Troy came over and kissed my head.

I heard a camera shutter close as someone captured a picture of Troy, Sarah, and I sitting there together.

"So we made a family decision." Jack told me as I looked up at him.

"What's that?" I asked him as he went and sat on the bed by Dana.

"You are now officially part of the family." Dana told me as I gave her a look.

"Aren't I supposed to become a part of the family when Troy asks me to marry him?" I asked them as they all grinned and as Troy hid his face in my neck.

"Well that will make it more official but until then you are a family member." Hannah told me as I grinned.

"I don't know what to say. I'm honored to be part of this family." I told them as I got tears in my eyes.

"Hey my family doesn't need to see you cry." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"I can't help it. You guys are being so sweet." I told him as his family smiled at me.

"You are a sweet girl and I'm glad my oldest son has picked you as his girlfriend." Jack told me as more tears came to my eyes.

"You guys are the best soon to be parents ever!" I told them as they grinned at me.

"Ok I haven't asked her to be my wife yet and you guys are all ready talking about her becoming one of the family members." Troy told them as he shook his head.

"Well we're trying to tell you to get on the ball." Jack told him as I laughed.

"Just to let you know, Troy and I have an understanding about when he can ask me. And I can guarantee that it won't be for about 2 years, until our freshman year of college." I told them as they both grinned.

"That's good. I'm glad you two are deciding to wait to get married." Jack told us as we both grinned at each other.

We spent the rest of the day up at the hospital. Troy and I took Hannah back to their house later that night. Hannah went inside as Troy and I sat on their front porch.

"You know, today turned out to be an amazing day." Troy told me as we held hands.

"I know. Your parents made me cry. And I hate crying in front of people." I told him as he laughed.

"You'll be ok. I promise. Did you get the hints they were dropping?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"Yeah I got them loud and clear. I'm glad we made a decision about waiting for you to ask me." I told him as he grinned.

Little did I know that he had all ready bought my engagement ring and had it hidden in a secret hidden place. We sat outside until night fell. We said good night and I walked home to find my house in chaos.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked mom as she handed me a screaming Tina.

"Change her diaper and try to calm her down." Mom told me as I grinned.

I quickly changed her diaper and sat down in the rocking chair and started to tell her a story.

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess named Gabriella and a prince named Troy. They sang together and made beautiful music together. One day they fell in love and made everyone jealous. Gabriella was scared about what the future held but when Troy came up and stood beside her, she wasn't scared at all. Troy and Gabriella fell in love and got married one day. They had a house full of kids and grew old together. They lived happily ever after." I told Tina as he eyes grew heavy and finally closed.

I saw my mom at the door holding a sleeping Lucas. I motioned her to come in as I placed Tina in her crib. I kissed my finger tips and gently placed them on her forehead. I did the same to Lucas before walking out of the room. I walked downstairs to the kitchen and my mom followed me.

We talked about our day and how it was. I told her about Sarah and Nathan and how Dana was doing. She suggested that I hit the sack early because I had an early morning with Troy. I grinned as I headed up the stairs. I wrote in my diary about the day before falling asleep.

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**This is the time you, the readers, come in! I need some help from you guys. Should I continue the story or end it and make a sequel? I'm going back and forth about whether to continue until their senior year and then finish it and picking up with a sequel when they start college or should I just skip the rest of high school and go straight to college? Let me know!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I thought you guys deserved a new chapter. I only own the characters not in the movie!**

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_November 23, 2006 10:00 am_

It was Thanksgiving and life in both mine and Troy's house was hectic to say the least. Both of our families decided to do Thanksgiving together. Troy and his family showed up at the house almost an hour ago and I had yet to spend five minutes with him. I was trying to get Tina and Lucas happy which wasn't an easy task by any standard. Troy and Hannah were trying to keep Sarah and Nathan happy but they weren't succeeding.

I caught Troy's eye and motioned him to follow me. He picked up Sarah as I grabbed Lucas and Tina. Hannah followed with Nathan as we walked upstairs.

I gently placed Tina and Lucas on the floor of my room as Hannah and Troy did the same with Sarah and Nathan. I placed a CD in my CD player and pressed play. As soon as the music came on, all four babies calmed down and soon fell asleep.

"How did you do that?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him and as we walked downstairs.

"It's a gift I learned early on when I had to care for Tina and Lucas. They both like soft music so I just put it on when they're fussy." I told him as I watched Hannah walk into the kitchen.

"Shall we go outside and have one of our talks?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"That sounds really good right now." I told him as I grabbed his hand and walked outside. We both sat on the swing and started to gently swing back and forth.

"So my girl, what are you thinking about right now?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"Currently I'm thinking about how much I'm thankful for. You, mom, Tina, Lucas, and just the life I'm living. What about you Mr. Basketball man?" I asked him as he laughed.

"Well for starters, I'm thankful for my mom and dad; Hannah, Sarah, and Nathan. Then I'm thankful for being with you and always having someone I can turn to without questions asked. I love it that you always know what I'm thinking without me even asking you. You always know what to say to make me feel better." Troy told me as tears came to my eyes.

"You always know what words to say to get straight to my heart. You always seem to make me cry." I told him as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Well I'm glad I make you cry. I always want to be the one you run to. You're my girl and I never want you to feel otherwise." Troy told me as I played with his fingers.

"I'm scared." I told him as he titled my face up to his. He kissed my lips as he looked at me.

"Hey, Gabi where is this coming from?" Troy asked me as I sat up and grabbed his hand.

"I heard a couple of girls at school talking about you leaving. That your dad got a promotion or something and he's got to transfer. Tell me it isn't true, Troy." I pleaded with him.

"As far as I know, it's not true. Those girls are jealous, Gabi. They want me but I only have eyes for one person and that's you." Troy told me as he hugged me.

"But they were so serious. I don't want to loose you." I told him as he sighed.

"I will do everything in my power not to loose you. Not now, not ever! You're stuck with me until the end." Troy told me as I looked down.

"Can you give me one of your world famous smiles? Just so I know that you're ok?" Troy asked me as I looked down.

He gently grabbed my chin and titled my chin back up so I was looking in his eyes. He bent and gently kissed my lips. I smiled as he pulled back.

"There's the smile I was talking about. Now will you promise me, you won't listen to what everyone else is saying? Just ignore them. They're jealous." Troy told me as I rubbed his knuckles.

"I promise. I love you Troy." I told him as he grinned at me and as he kissed my hand.

"Good and I love you too, Gabi." Troy told me as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry to be interrupting but dinner is on the table." Hannah told us as she closed her eyes.

"It's ok Hannah. We were just coming in." I told her as she laughed at the two of us.

"Yeah right Gabi. Come on. The moms' are waiting for you two." Hannah said as Troy and I came into the house.

We walked into the dinning room to see the table full of all kinds of foods. There was a turkey sitting in the middle with mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, green beans, carrots, and everything else you could imagine sitting around it. Mom and Dana smiled at us as we walked in.

"Now that the love birds are here we can begin." Jack told everyone as Troy and I took our seats.

"Now a tradition in our house is that everyone goes around and says a couple of things they are thankful for. Now I'm going to start. I'm thankful for my family, wonderful friends, my son finding his soul mate while being in the 11th grade, and a wonderful life. Dana would you like to go next?" Jack asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"I'm thankful for my four children, an almost adoptive daughter, Gabi, a wonderful friend in Anna, and a great job." Dana told us as we all smiled.

"I guess it's my turn. I'm thankful for my family, friends, and watching Gabi being in love and experiencing high school with such great friends." Mom told me as she squeezed my hand.

"My turn. I'm thankful for life, my mom, Tina, Lucas, Troy and his family, and being able to live a normal life with my friends. I'm also thankful for my ability to understand Chemistry as well as I do. I'm thankful that I can help others who need it." I said as Troy grinned at me.

"How do I top that?" Troy asked as we all laughed at him and as he grinned at me.

"I'm thankful for my mom, dad, Hannah, Sarah, and Nathan. I'm thankful for Anna raising Gabi to the girl/woman she's become. I'm thankful for my relationship with Gabi and that's she is my soul mate and my best friend. I'm thankful for my basketball skills and the fact that I can play well. Oh and I'm thankful for Gabi's Chemistry skills or else I would be screwed in Chemistry." Troy said as everyone laughed.

"You would be screwed. Well we would both be screwed in Chemistry." I told him as I started to serve my plate.

Dinner was mostly quiet. There was a lot of scrapping of plates and not much talking. After dinner we were all too tired to talk so we retreated to the living room until one of the babies started to cry. I ran upstairs to see which one was crying. I stood in the doorway and saw a sight that brought tears to my eyes. I quickly walked into my room and grabbed my digital camera.

I saw Troy sitting in the rocking chair holding Sarah. He was quietly singing to her to calm her down. I took a couple of pictures before I made my presence known.

"Oh hey Gabi. I didn't see you standing there." Troy told me as I knelt down by the rocking chair.

"I didn't want to disturb you. You looked quite comfortable sitting there rocking Sarah." I told him as he grinned.

"Yeah. Mom appointed me as baby calmer. She said that I have the touch." Troy told me as I grinned.

"She looks to be going back to sleep." I told him as Sarah's eyes started to close.

He placed her in the bassinet that was set up in Tina and Lucas' room. He then peeked at Nathan and nodded to me. We walked out and went into my room.

"So someone's got a birthday coming up. What do you want?" I asked him as he grinned at me. His birthday was November 30th.

"You don't have to give me anything. I all ready told you Gabi." Troy told me as he sat on my bed.

"Not getting my boyfriend a present is like birthday massacre." I told him as he grinned.

"I'm going to be 17 so if you could promise me a car, then my birthday wish would come true." Troy told me as I smiled.

"But don't you all ready have a car?" I asked him thinking back to his old 1990 Toyota Camry.

"The car's ancient and it's dying. I'm going to need a new one." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Sorry I can't help you there. So what do you want?" I asked Troy as he grinned.

"To tell you the truth, I want a quiet evening alone with you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I think that can be arranged. I will pick you up at 7 on the day of your birthday." I told him as he grinned.

"Speaking of birthdays, you've got one coming up too. What do you want?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"You have plenty of time to come up with something. My birthday isn't until the 6th of January." I told him as he grinned.

"Just making sure. I'll come up with something good for you." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I'm sure you will." I told him as a knock on my door interrupted the kiss that was going to be.

"Gabi, Troy, the parental unit wants to see you downstairs pronto." Hannah told us as Troy and I looked at each other.

"Do you know what they want?" Troy asked his sister as she grinned at him.

"No possible idea. Just go down there and see. Are you a chicken or something?" Hannah asked him as he grinned.

"I'm kind of scared of what the parents are going to talk to us about." I told Hannah and Troy as Troy grabbed my hand and lead me downstairs.

"So we heard you guys wanted to talk to us." Troy said as him and I walked into the living room.

"You both have been a great help these past few weeks. We think you guys should start spending more time with each other and don't worry about what goes on in the house. You two have been neglecting your relationship and we don't want to see it disappear." Jack told Troy and I as we both grinned.

"That's all you wanted to tell us. We thought we did something to tick all of you off." Troy told them as they laughed.

"When we want to talk to you two, it's not necessary a bad thing. You both are great kids and we just wanted to tell you that." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Ok. Well we're going back upstairs to play with our siblings." I told them as we walked back upstairs.

Troy and his family stayed until 9 when they decided to leave. I went to bed soon after and fell asleep with a huge grin on my face.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

_November 30th, 2006 8:15 am_

I grinned as I finished making Troy's birthday invitation. I was sitting in my English class not really paying attention to what the teacher was talking about. Taylor and Sharpay were sitting by me taking notes.

_Troy, _

_Be ready in a nice shirt and a tie at 7 o'clock tonight. I will be by your house to pick you up. Be ready for a special night. _

_Love,_

_Gabi_

I read over the words as I slipped the piece of paper into the envelope. The girls looked over at me and grinned.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Taylor asked me as I grinned at her and Sharpay.

"It's Troy birthday and I'm taking him out tonight." I told her as Taylor smirked at me.

"Anywhere special for the two of you?" Sharpay asked me as I glared at her.

"We're not doing that. I'm just taking him out for a date just the two of us." I told her as she smiled at me.

"Whatever you say Gabi. You'll have to give us full details tomorrow morning." Taylor told me as the bell rang.

I ran out of the classroom and quickly stuffed the envelope into Troy's locker where I knew he would be in a matter of seconds. I smiled as I opened my locker. I heard Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Ryan come down the hall.

"Hey baby. How was English?" Troy asked me as he opened his locker and grabbed the envelope.

"It was ok. What do you have there?" I asked him as he opened the envelope.

"I don't know but it looks like your handwriting." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"Because it is. I have to go but I'll see you later!" I told him as he gave me a kiss.

I walked down to my Chemistry classroom and took my seat. The day seemed to pass on until finally the bell rang at 2:30. I grabbed my stuff and walked out of my final class. I made a quick stop at my locker to put my books away and then started to walk towards the parking lot.

"Gabi wait up." I heard Troy yell as I spun around and saw him walking down the hallway.

"What's up Troy?" I asked him as he kissed my cheek and took my hand in his.

"I just want to walk my girlfriend home." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"But shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't I be walking you home, Mr. Birthday Boy?" I asked him as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but I like walking you home. Dad gave us the day off since it's my birthday." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Is that your birthday present from your parents or no?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I don't think so but who knows with them." Troy told me as we continued to walk.

We walked towards his house. I smiled knowing what was going to be park in the driveway of his house. His grin because bigger as we approached his house. Dana and Jack were both outside with a twin in each of their arms.

"What are you guys both doing home? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Troy asked his parents as they both grinned.

"Well we wanted to be home when you got home. We wanted to see your reaction." Dana told her son as he gave me a look.

"My reaction to what?" Troy asked as his dad titled his head over to the brand new car sitting in the driveway.

"That car right there is your new car. That's your birthday present, Troy." Jack told Troy as Troy looked at him.

"Are you serious?" Troy asked as he ran over to the 2005 full loaded blue Toyota Tundra.

"Serious as a heartbeat. You earned it son." Dana told Troy as he hugged his parents. I just grinned at him.

"Did you have something to do with this missy?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"Maybe." I told Troy as he came over and gave me a kiss.

"I think you did. So thank you too!" Troy told me as he jumped into the front seat.

Jack and Troy stood outside of the truck and talked over things. I went by Dana who had her hands full with both Nathan and Sarah. I grabbed Nathan from her hands as we both went inside.

"I just want to thank you again, Gabi." Dana told me as she walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles. She handed one to me as I sat down.

"For what? Making your son happy? It's a two way street. He makes me happy too." I told her as she smiled and as I put the bottle in Nathan's anxious mouth.

"Not just that. You've managed to win this entire family over. I'm just glad Troy's found someone like you at this young of an age." Dana told me as I smiled.

"Well I'm glad I've found him too. I'm kind of nervous about the future but we're taking it day by day." I told her as she smiled at me.

"Don't worry about the future. Just take it day by day. You both will be fine." Dana told me as I heard the door open.

"Gabi you want to go for a ride with me?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"I'm kind of busy at the moment but give me a few minutes and we'll go." I told him as I burped Nathan.

"Ok. You look so at peace right now." Troy told me as he took a seat at the table.

"Because I am. I'm holding a baby, hanging with you and your mom. I'm in a good place right now." I told him as he leaned over and gave me a kiss.

I placed Nathan in his swing as I went to the front door. I smiled at Dana as Troy and I walked out of the house. Troy went and opened my door as I slid in. I waved at Jack as Troy got in. He started the engine and we were on our way.

"So this was your doing wasn't it?" Troy asked me as he backed out of his driveway.

"In a way, yes. Your parents came to me and asked me if you had hinted at anything for your birthday. I told them that you were asking for a new car. They did the rest." I told him as he grabbed my hand.

"I love you and I love the fact that you are so close with my parents." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I love you too and I'm glad I'm so tight with your parents." I told him as he pulled into my driveway.

"I guess this is goodbye for now." Troy told me as I got out and walked to his window.

"Remember to be ready to go at 7 o'clock tonight in a nice shirt and a tie." I told him as he grinned at me.

"What color is your dress?" Troy asked me as I gave him a look.

"Since when have you cared what color my dress is?" I asked him as he grinned.

"I want to know what color tie I can wear." Troy told me as I thought it over in my head.

"My dress is a classic black and white. Any color tie will work." I told him as he smiled.

"Good. I will see you at 7 tonight." Troy told me as I stood on my tippy toes and gave him a kiss.

He made sure I walked inside before pulling out of my driveway. I meanwhile headed upstairs to take a quick shower. I had a little over 4 hours before I had to be at his house. I wanted to make the most of my time.

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**I'm currently working on the next part as we speak. The next part has their date and a few other surprises. I'm kind of running out of ideas so I would love you hear yours! Please review and let me know what you think! dancerlittle **


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I don't own any characters not in the movie!

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_November 30th, 2006 6:50 pm_

"Gabi you better be going. You're going to be late." Mom told me as I walked downstairs.

I had my black dress on. I had black flip flops on, but you couldn't tell because my dress was ankle length. My hair was pulled up and curled. I saw tears in my mom's eyes as I came and stood in front of her.

"Do you have everything you need?" Mom asked me as I grinned at her.

"Yeah Troy's presents are over at his house all ready. Dana is keeping them hidden until we leave. Then she'll put them out on the porch. I just have to keep him busy until 9 tonight." I told her as she smiled.

"We're going over there at 8:30 so we'll see you when you guys get back." Mom told me as I grabbed my sweater.

"Ok I will see you guys then." I told her as she smiled and as I opened the door and started my walk to Troy's house.

I smiled at how perfect the night was. It wasn't too cold and the sky was full of bright stars. I looked at my watch. It was 5 to 7 so I had plenty of time.

I looked up at his house and saw his bedroom light was on and he appeared to be dancing around his bedroom. I giggled at the sight. I walked up to the door and knocked gently. Dana opened the door and smiled at me.

"Everything is in place. You just bring him home at 9 and everything will be great." Dana told me as I walked into the kitchen with her.

"Ok I can do that." I told her as I walked over to the counter and Jack noticed me.

"You look very pretty, Gabi. Troy's upstairs dancing, I think." Jack told me as I smiled.

"Thank you very much. I saw him as I walked up the steps." I told him as Dana looked at me.

"Troy, Gabi's here." Dana yelled up the stairs as I saw Hannah come running down.

"Just a fore warning, he's singing." Hannah told me as she looked me over and smiled.

"Thanks Hannah. I'll try to contain him tonight." I told her as she grinned at me.

"I'm coming mom. Tell Gabi I'll be there in a minute." Troy yelled down as I shot him mom a look.

"I told you he couldn't be ready at 7." I told her as she grinned at me.

"Well then you should yell at him. You guys are going to be late." Dana told me as I grinned.

"We're going to be behind schedule is what we're going to be." I told them as Troy walked into the kitchen.

"I'm ready. Jeez get off my case." Troy told us as he looked at me and his jaw dropped.

"And who is this woman? Is she my escort tonight?" Troy asked me as I blushed.

"It's your girlfriend and I'm the girl you're going to be with tonight. After that comment, I forgive you and I will not yell at you." I told him as he grinned.

"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked me as we walked towards the front door.

"A little anxious are you?" I asked him as he grabbed for my hand and linked our fingers together.

"Yea but this is our first day in weeks." Troy told me as he shouted goodbyes to his family.

We walked outside and he kissed me on his front porch. I grinned as he started to walk.

"Hold on buddy. I know you want to get this date started but you don't even know where we are going." I told him as he grinned.

"You're right about that. So miss, what are we going to do?" Troy asked me as I grabbed his hand and started to walk.

"Where is the one place where we always end up after a date?" I asked him as he gave me a look.

"Are you going to make me guess all the places we are going to?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Yes. You have to do a little work in order to earn this date." I told him as he grinned.

"After almost ever date, we usually end up in a park of some sorts." Troy told me as we crossed Baker Street.

"A little more specific." I told him as he grabbed my hand and started to laugh.

"All right, missy. We usually end up in Baker Park." Troy told me as I grinned.

"You're right. Let's go." I told him as we walked over to a picnic table that had food on it.

"You had this planned?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him and as I opened the picnic basket.

"I had to. I had to come up with all the clues." I told him as we dug into the food.

"Remember what's so special about this park?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"I'm supposed to be the one asking you questions and this is where you took me on our first date." I told him as he grinned.

"All right missy, now where does our little adventure take us?" Troy asked me as I thought.

"Next clue. Where is the one place you find peace?" I asked him as he gave me a look.

"There are many places that I find peace." Troy told me as I smiled at him.

"Do you want another clue?" I asked him as he vigorously shook his head up and down.

"Where is the one place you run suicides?" I asked him as he grinned at me.

"The East High School Gym." Troy told me as I waved my hands up in and down.

"Ding Ding you got it right. Let's head that way." I told him as he grabbed my hand and started walking.

We walked towards the high school, each of us lost in our own worlds. I opened the door for Troy as he ran to the gym.

"Woah Romeo. You can't go in yet. You have to answer a question for me." I told him as he leaned against the door.

"What's the question, Juliet?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him and he played with my hand.

"What was the score of the championship game?" I asked him as he grinned at me.

"Oh Gabi that's a tough one. Not! 68-67!" Troy told me as he rolled his eyes and as I smiled.

"Good now you may enter." I told him as I opened the door to the gym and he went in.

Inside the gym where two chairs and a huge projection screen. I smiled at the people standing in the back. I lead Troy to the seat and had him sit down.

"This is obviously the stop where most of our memories are. You're a basketball man; you've always been one. I just wanted to bring back some of those memories." I told him as I raised my hand signaling to the people in the back to begin.

We sat there and watched a slide show that I put together of pictures of the two of us. There were pictures from auditions to games that we attended to pictures of just the two of us hanging out.

Troy was grinning after the slide show was done. I turned to him and squeezed his hand.

"Gabi that was amazing. Where did you get all those pictures?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Your mom, my mom, friends, yearbook staff." I told him as he grinned at me.

"I love it. Now where is the next stop?" Troy asked me as I grabbed his hand and stood up. I looked at my watch to see the time was 8 o'clock. I grinned at him.

"The next clue is where you and I spend most of our time together." I told him as we walked out of the school.

"We spend a lot of our time at school but we were just there so that can't be it. I'm going to guess your house." Troy told me as I grinned.

"You're right. Let's go." I told him as we started the walk to my house.

"You know what?" Troy asked me as I turned and looked at him smiling.

"What is on your mind, Troy Bolton?" I asked him as he stared straight ahead.

"This is one of my best birthdays ever." Troy told me as he gently swung our hands.

"Really? I'm glad. I was hoping you would like this but I wasn't sure." I told him as we reached my house.

"I love this because I get to spend time with you and reviewing memories of everything we've done together." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. This came to me a couple of days together and I had a lot of help planning this whole thing out." I told him as we sat on the porch.

"It seems like whenever we sit out here, we have a serious conversation." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"I never realized that. I think we're planning our future out here on the porch." I told him as he smiled.

"I like those serious conversations. They make me think about my future and yours." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I'm glad I'm getting you to think about the future." I told him as he looked at me.

"Aren't you going to say something about this stop like you have the others?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"When you first came up on my balcony almost a year ago, I was nervous and scared. But when you talked to me and told me you liked me, all the nervousness and scariness faded away. You have always been there to calm me down and make me smile when I'm down." I told him as he smiled.

"To tell you the truth, I was scared and nervous when I came up to your balcony. I was afraid you would turn me down." Troy told me as I grinned.

"I would never do that to you. I liked you too much." I told him as he smiled.

"Ok now where?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"Now we go back to the place where it all began." I told him as he gave me a look.

"Back to my house?" Troy asked me as I noticed him let down a little bit.

"Yeah but don't feel down just yet. There are a couple of surprises back at your house." I told him as he grinned.

"All right. Let's go, Gabi!" Troy told me as he grabbed my hand and started to walk towards his house.

Troy was laughing at something as we came up to his house. I smiled as I opened the door for him. The house was black with no one in sight.

"This is our final stop of the night. This is where I get to see the other side of you. This is where you're safe haven is. This place is where you grew up and became the guy I know today." I told him as he gave me a kiss.

"Thank you Gabi!" Troy told me as the lights came on and we heard everyone yell.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled as the light came on and Troy's shocked face made me laugh.

"Gabriella Maria! Did you plan this?" Troy asked me as I laughed at him.

"Yeah because our friends wanted to celebrate with you. I told them I would have the first part and they could come to the second part." I told him as he pulled me into a hug.

"You're amazing." Troy told me as he gave me a kiss and then walked around the room saying hello to everyone.

"Did he like the idea?" Dana asked me as I walked Troy talk to Chad and Taylor.

"He did. It was a lot of fun hanging out with him." I told her as she smiled.

"Good I'm glad you had fun! Now gather everyone up and push them into the kitchen so we can cut the cake." Dana told me as I laughed.

"Yo everyone! In the kitchen now. We're going to cut the cake." I yell as I went into the kitchen.

Troy came and stood at the counter by me. I smiled as he closed his eyes. Everyone started to sing happy birthday to him as he hummed along.

"Now make a birthday wish." I whispered into his ear as he grinned at me.

He made his wish and then blew out all the candles. Everyone cheered for him and patted him on the back.

"Everyone can have a seat and while I cut this, Troy you can open your presents." Dana told Troy as he sat by the heaping pile of presents.

Troy grabbed a box and started to tear the paper off. I heard Chad laugh as Troy rip the paper off.

"Dude if this is what I think it is you're dead and you better start running right now." Troy told Chad as Chad laughed.

"It's not that. Just keep opening it." Chad told him as I laughed at the two.

Troy cautiously keep unwrapping the box. I moved over by Taylor as I kept my eyes on Chad. He grinned as Troy kept unwrapping. I closed my eyes as I heard a popping noise. I carefully opened them to see a cheese whiz covered Troy. I covered my mouth, too afraid to laugh due to the look on Troy's face.

"Dude you better start running right now. I'm going to kill you." Troy said as someone grabbed a camera and took a picture of Troy.

I walked into the kitchen and started to laugh. I heard someone open the door and walk in.

"Are you laughing at me?" Troy asked me as I backed away from him. His evil grinned evident on his face.

"Troy I would never laugh at you. You don't want to get any cheese whiz on my pretty dress do you?" I asked him as I looked at his tie and nice shirt covered in cheese whiz.

"You better be glad you're in that dress or else you would be given a cheese whiz hug." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Why don't you go take a quick shower while everyone continues to eat their cake?" I told him as he grinned.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Kill Chad for me." Troy told me as I grinned.

"And get blood on this dress, there's no way." I told him as he ran upstairs.

"Chad you're dead when Troy comes back down here." I told him walking into the dining room.

"Ahh come on Gabi you know you enjoyed that." Chad told me as he hugged me.

"I did but my boyfriend didn't. So I would watch your back for the next few days." I told him as he grinned.

"Oh I will Gabi. Trust me I will." Chad told me as I sat on the counter waiting for Troy to come back.

He came down in a sweatshirt and basketball shorts. I grinned at him as he started to open his presents again. He rolled his eyes when Chad asked him if he had gotten all the cheese whiz out.

I walked in the dining room to see all the presents were unwrapped and he was in a deep conversation with Chad, Zeke, Ryan, and Jason. I smiled as I walked upstairs to his closet and got the presents I had hidden up there earlier and placed them on his bed. I walked back downstairs as everyone was leaving.

"This was the best birthday ever babe." Troy told me as I took his hand and walked upstairs.

"There's a couple more presents that are from me." I told him as he sat on his bed.

He took the one that was a shirt box. He carefully took the paper off it and carefully opened the box. His smile was all I needed to see. He carefully took the picture frame from the box and put it on his bedside. It was a black and white picture of the two of us slow dancing on his front porch. It was after one of our dates and his mom had captured the picture.

I handed him the next picture as his grin grew. Inside laid another picture frame that held a picture of Sarah, Nathan, Troy, and I sitting on the swing together. Troy had his arm around me and my head was on his shoulder. His dad had captured the picture.

"I love them both Gabi. Did mom give you a copy of the picture?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Yeah she did and I went and had a copy made." I told him as I handed him the final box which was bigger than the other two.

"What's this?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him and as he started to tear the paper.

"Open it to find out." I told him as he got down to the box. He opened it and his eyes went wide.

"OMG Gabi did you do this?" Troy asked me as he flipped through the scrapbook I had made for him.

It started with pictures of us from the auditions and continued up to the most recent pictures of us hanging out at his house. Every page had quotes on it and pictures of activities we've done since we first met.

Troy looked up at me, too choked up to say anything. I smiled at him as he grabbed my hand.

"I love it Gabi. I loved this whole night. Do you know why?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.

"Why did you love tonight?" I asked him as he started to laugh. I've always loved his laugh.

"Simply because I was with you and you lead me on a wild goose chase." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I had fun because I was spending time with you too." I told him as we walked downstairs.

He led me outside and sat me down on the swing. He sat down beside me and started to swing back and forth. I sighed happily as Troy played with my hand.

"Did I tell you how much I love you in that dress? And how much I love you?" Troy asked me as I giggled softly.

"You haven't told me in the last few minutes." I told him as he laughed softly.

"Well Gabriella Maria Montez, I love you in that dress and I love you too." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Well Troy Douglas Bolton, I love you all dressed up and I love you just in general." I told him as he grinned.

"You just love me in general?" Troy asked me as I threw my head back and laughed.

"Ok that didn't sound right. I love you in every light." I told him as he kissed me.

"Oh I love you too. Come on your mom's going to kill me if I don't get you home." Troy told me as he stood up.

"Who says I want to go home?" I asked him as he cocked his hip off to the side.

"Come on Gabi. If you don't come now, you can skip that good night kiss good bye!" Troy told me as I pouted.

"You suck. Help me up." I told him as I grabbed his out reached hand and he pulled me up.

"I do not suck. I'm just a fool that's in love with you." Troy told me as we walked to his truck.

Troy opened the door and helped me in. He got in his side and started to drive. The ride was silent until he got to my house.

"And I'm just a princess who is in love with her prince charming." I told him as he opened the door for me.

"Well I have my princess and you have your prince charming. What more can I want?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"How about that good night kiss?" I asked him as he grinned at me and led me to the front porch.

"I think you deserve a good night kiss." Troy told me as he grabbed my hand and dipped his head so that he kissed my lips softly.

"Hm. . . I think we need to do that more often." I told him as my lips met his.

"If we continue this, your mom is going to start flicking the lights on and off." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"I'm in a good place and I don't want to move." I told him as he grinned at me.

"Good night Gabi and I will see you tomorrow." Troy told me as he pushed me towards the door.

"Night Troy. Happy Birthday again!" I told him as he grinned at me.

"Thanks Gabi. Can a birthday guy get one more wish?" Troy asked me as he grinned.

"Sure name it." I told him as he gently swung my hand back and forth as I smiled.

"Can I get one more kiss before you go?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.

"Sure." I told him as he dipped his head and gave me a gently, sweet kiss.

"Happy Birthday, Troy." I told him softly as I started to open the door and walk in.

"Good night Gabi." Troy told me as I gently closed the door.

I walked into the big bay window and walked Troy walk back to his truck. I smiled when I saw him start to dance and sing with his head titled back.

I ran outside and wrapped my arms around Troy as he started to laugh at me.

"You couldn't stand seeing me dancing and singing could you?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"No I couldn't. You were just too cute dancing out here." I told him as I wrapped my arms around his shoulder.

"My love, may I have this dance?" Troy asked me as I nodded my hand and as we started to dance.

We stayed out on my front yard dancing until 12 am. I giggled as Troy pushed me towards the house.

"Go and get some sleep because we both have school tomorrow. And all our friends are going to want to know the details." Troy told me as I kissed him and then ran to towards the house.

I ran upstairs and changed out of my dress. I jumped on my bed and was asleep with a smile on my face.

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**There's Troy's exciting details of his birthday. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the feedback! You guys broke 100 reviews and you guys are awesome! As always, I only own the characters not in the movie! **

**Someone requested a little brother/sister bonding so that's what this chapter is mostly going to be about!**

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_January 5th, 2007 10:00 am (Troy's POV)_

I heard Hannah slam the door as she walked through the kitchen. I gave her a look which she threw back whole heartily.

"So what are you up to today, Hannah Banana?" I asked her as she sat down at the counter.

"I have no idea why?" Hannah asked me as I frowned which she picked up immediately.

"I need your help." I told her as she gave me a look of confusion and I laughed.

"Why do you need my help? You're a 17 year old now; shouldn't you be able to think on your own?" Hannah asked as I glared at her.

"Gabi's birthday is tomorrow and I don't know what to do for her." I told her as she put her head on her head.

"Why don't you get her something and make her do a scavenger hunt?" Hannah told me as I smiled at her.

"That's not too cheesy? Wait, she did the same thing for my birthday." I told my sister as I looked her over. She must have been playing basketball with dad.

"Well you can always go for the nice date theme. You could dress up and take her out." Hannah told me as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nah we do that for all of our dates." I told her as she gave me a look as I smiled.

"You keep throwing out my ideas. Go talk to dad." Hannah told me as I shook my head.

"I want to spend more time with my sister. I want you to come up with something." I told her as she laughed.

"How about you cook her dinner and get her something special?" Hannah suggested as I thought it over.

"But what should I get her?" I asked her as she shook her head again and hit the back of my head.

"You've got a brain. Think for yourself dude." Hannah told me as she walked up the stairs.

As she left, a thought came to my mind. I smiled as I ran upstairs and grabbed my wallet and was out the door within minutes.

_January 6th, 2007 6:00 pm (Gabi's POV)_

I tugged on my dress one more time as my mom gently told me to stop. I sighed as I looked at the clock.

"He's late again." Mom told me as I rolled my eyes up towards the ceiling.

"Mom chill. He told me he would be here between 6 and 6:15. He's not late." I told her as she laughed.

I looked in the mirror that stood in the hallway. I was dressed in a red knee length dress with black heels. My hair was curled and pinned up. I have very minimum makeup on with lip gloss on my lips.

I heard a car door slam and I turned back to the front door. I smiled as I saw Troy come up the sidewalk. Mom opened the door as I came to the entry way.

"Happy birthday Gabi. You look wonderful as always." Troy told me as he kissed my cheek.

"Thank you. You look great." I told him as he handed me a dozen of peach roses.

"They are beautiful. Thank you." I told him as I lifted the roses to my nose to smell them.

"I know they are your favorite." Troy told me as I walked into the kitchen to put them in water.

"You remembered." I told him as mom slipped from the room and as I shot her a grin.

"I'll have her home at a decent time, Anna." Troy told my mom and I grabbed my sweater.

We walked out of the house, hand in hand. I looked over at Troy as he opened the door for me. I carefully slid into his truck as he ran around to the driver's side.

"So where are we going?" I asked him as he backed out of my driveway and started to drive.

"I can't tell you that. You're going to have to wait to see." Troy told me as I looked out the window.

"Oh. Ok. I'll be a patient girl and wait." I told him as he started to laugh.

"You and patient are two words that do not go together." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Yeah I know but I'm going to try." I told him as he pulled into his driveway. I shot him a look as he helped me out of the truck.

"Don't ask questions just follow me." Troy told me as he opened the front door.

I saw several candle flickers from the formal dining room. We walked into the dining room to see rose petal surrounding the table and another dozen of yellow roses sitting at the table. I covered my mouth as I saw all the rose petals on the floor.

"Oh my. Troy it's beautiful." I told him as he pulled out my chair for me.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Troy told me as he went into the kitchen.

He returned with our salads. I smiled noticing that there were no carrots in my salad. We talked silently as we ate. As we ate, I looked around the room. There were black and white photographs sitting out. I looked closer and realized that the photographs were of the two of us. Troy caught my eyes and smiled.

"Yes those are pictures of us. Hannah gave me the idea to find old photographs of us and put them around the room." Troy told me as I looked at a photograph of the two of us sitting in the theatre just talking.

"I didn't realize all these photos existed." I told him as he gave me a look.

"I knew a lot of these existed, I just had to track the right people down." Troy told me as he handed me an envelope.

"What are these?" I asked him as I took the photos out of the envelope.

"Those are the exact pictures you see sitting around the room. Mom gave me the idea to make copies for you." Troy told me as I flipped through the pictures.

"Thank you. I needed some new pictures of us. I'm running out of photos of us." I told him as he grinned.

He noticed I was done with my salad and took our plates away. He returned with the main course. It was Alfredo with a white cream sauce.

"I never knew you knew how to cook." I told him as he grinned at me and as I took a bite.

"My grandmother taught me before she passed away. She told me that one day I would win a girl over with my skills of cooking." Troy told me as I laughed.

"Well you definitely won me over. This is really good." I told him as he blushed.

"Italian was her specialty. She was determined to teach her only grandson how to cook." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Well I will have to send a thank you up there." I told him as we continued to eat.

The rest of dinner was silent due to me savoring what I was eating. Troy noticed I was done and took my plate to the kitchen. He came back smiling.

"Well now you're officially 17 so of course I had to get you something." Troy told me as I grinned.

"Well I'm a birthday girl so I guess I can accept some gifts." I told him as he handed me a box.

"This is your first one and you'll have to give me a minute to explain it to you." Troy told me as I opened the box.

I gasped when I saw that there was a charm bracelet sitting on a piece of cotton. I took it out as Troy grabbed my right hand. He slipped the bracelet on my wrist as I turned it around, looking at all the charms.

"All of these charms mean something to me and to you. The first one is a _rose_. Your favorite flowers are roses and I love seeing your face every time you get a dozen." Troy told me as I looked at the rose.

"The next one is a _basketball_. Whenever you and I are on a basketball court, you let me see a little more about you and I learn something new about you." Troy told me as tears came to my eyes.

"The next one is a _paw print_. You'll always be my number one wildcat and nothing will ever change that." Troy told me as I smiled at him.

"A _book_ is the next one. This represents your smartness and how you can teach me something new every day." Troy smiled as a tear came down my face.

"The _microphone_ is something that you made me realize I could do. I never had the guts to get up and sing until I met you. You make me want to try new things." Troy said as more tears came down my face.

"The next one is a _paint pallet_. You color your world with your laughter and your smile. Everyone who comes in contact with you is a much better person." Troy told me as more tears came down my face. He used his thumb to wipe some of the tears away.

"The next one is a _snowflake_. You are a unique person and you're not afraid to follow the beat of your own drum." Troy told me as I smiled.

"And finally the last charm is a _key_. I've worked hard to earn your love and your trust and in return, I've given you my heart. This key symbolizes the key to my heart and my life. You hold the key. This key is special in the fact that we are real and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep us alive." Troy told me as I gave him a kiss.

"This is the best birthday present anyone has ever given me." I told him as he kissed me back.

"Good I'm glad you like it." Troy told me as he kissed me again and I sighed against his lips.

"Come with me." Troy told me as he stood up and offered me his hand which I gladly accepted.

He led me outside to the backyard. I looked around noticing nothing special. He snapped his finger and the backyard became lighted with Christmas lights.

"I love it. It's so pretty." I told him as he offered his hand and soft music started to play.

"Miss Gabi Montez, may I have this dance?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"Mr. Bolton you may have all the dances of my life." I told him as the two of us started to slow dance.

We spent the rest of the night, slow dancing. I sighed happily as I looked up at the stars and counted my blessing. Troy took me home and gave me a kiss good night. I ran upstairs and jumped happily on my bed. I laid there and fell asleep in my dress.

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**Hey guys! Now's it your turn. Let me know what you think of the story! I'm going to be skipping a couple of months between all of this. The next chapter, I think, is going to take place in June, right around Tina and Lucas' first birthday! Please reply and give me feedback! **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Just so you guys know, I'm skipping a ways ahead. It's going to be summer and the gang is out for the summer.**

**I only own the characters not in the story!**

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_June 14, 2007 9:00 am_

I sat on the couch watching Tina as she started to stand and clap her hands. She reached out for the table and caught herself. I placed my hand over my mouth as she started to giggle.

"Hey mom. Come here for a minute." I yelled as I heard my mom come in from the kitchen.

"You don't have to yell, Gabi." Mom told me as she came and sat by me.

"Look at Tina. I think she's going to start walking." I told her as she smiled at me.

"Tina are you going to start walking?" Mom asked Tina as she cocked her head to one side.

I got up from my place on the couch and grabbed Tina walking a few feet from where my mom was seated. I placed Tina on her feet and grabbed her hands to help her get her balance. Tina placed her right foot out and started to walk with my help. I released her hands as she started to walk towards my mom. I looked up at mom and saw tears in her eyes.

"Go to momma, Tina." I encouraged as she fell a few inches from my mom's outreached arms.

"Look at you big girl! You're growing up way too fast." Mom told Tina as she gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Gabi, will you go check up on Lucas for me?" Mom asked me as I jumped up and looked in the swing.

I saw Lucas chewing on a toy as he happily kicked his feet up in the air.

"Mom he's fine. He's chewing on a toy. What time is everyone coming over?" I asked her as she looked at me.

"What do you mean what time is everyone coming over?" Mom asked me as I rolled my eyes.

"It's Tina and Lucas' birthday party today. Remember you invited the Bolton's over for cake?" I asked her as she smiled.

"Good I was trying to see if you remembered and they are coming over at 3." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Oh ok. Do you need me to go do anything?" I asked her as she shook her head and looked at Tina.

"You can go enjoy your Saturday while I get this place straighten up." Mom told me as I walked upstairs.

I walked into my room which I totally redecorated. On every single wall were pictures and memories from the past year. Troy and I celebrated our one year anniversary on January 16th. He took me out to dinner and gave me a necklace. I told him it was too much but he just gave me is goofy grin.

For Spring Break, our parents took us to Salt Lake, Utah. Both of our families just hung out and relaxed. Troy and I had the best time and managed to find a couple of cool places in Utah.

School got out May 31st. Troy and I haven't been hanging out too much. He's been in basketball workout mode. He promised me we would hang out the following week just the two of us.

I smiled as I looked over at all the pictures that adorned my walls. There were so many memories. From when Troy and I first met for the auditions to the current ones of us on dates and walks in the park, all the pictures were there to show me how much fun we've had.

_3:00 pm_

I heard the doorbell ring as I walked down the stairs with Lucas in my arms. I grinned as I let the Bolton clan into the house.

"Hey guys. What's happening?" I asked as Troy wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss.

"Hm. . . nothing much. We're just here for a party." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Good because we have something special to celebrate!" I told them as I walked into the kitchen.

"Well what else could you be celebrating besides your siblings first birthday?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"Tina took her first steps. She's walking by herself." I told them as Troy grinned at me.

"Congratulations big sister." Troy told me as he took Lucas from my arms and kissed me.

"Sorry Lucas. But I had to give your sister a kiss." Troy told Lucas as Lucas started to cry a little.

We all walked into the kitchen and I rolled my eyes as I saw the kitchen decked out. I yawned as I walked outside.

"What's wrong, Gabi?" Troy asked me as I sat down in the middle of the backyard.

"I don't know." I told him as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"Yeah you do. What are you not telling me?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I should feel really excited that my siblings are turning one but I don't feel that way." I told Troy as he gave me a look.

"Why don't you feel that way?" Troy asked me as he hugged me closer to him.

"I think because today is the day that my dad died all those years ago. And I guess I'm just missing him." I told Troy as he gave me a kiss.

"I wish I could have met him but since I can't you can tell me all about him." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I will tell you later but let's go celebrate Tina and Lucas' day." I told him as Troy helped me up and walked with me inside.

_August 29, 2007 9:00 am_

"Can you believe we're seniors?" Taylor asked me as I walked down the hallway on my way to Senior English.

"No but I'm glad we're on top of the class." I told her as we walked into the classroom.

"Ten bucks Chad and Troy get a detention on their first day back." Taylor told me as I grinned.

"Nah that happened last year. I'm thinking something much more entertaining." I told her as the loud speaker sounded.

"Could the following seniors come down to the gym immediately, Sharpay Evans, Ryan Evans, Gabriella Montez, and Taylor McKessie?" The school secretary said as Taylor and I looked at each other.

"You heard the secretary, Gabi and Taylor, you may be excused." Our teacher told us as we got our stuff and walked to the gym.

Taylor and I met Sharpay and Ryan in the hallway and started walked down to the gym.

"Do you know what is going on?" Sharpay asked me as I gave her a look.

"I don't know what's going on but I think Troy has something to do with it." I told her as I opened the gym doors.

We walked in and just saw Coach Bolton standing there grinning at me.

"Coach Bolton, could you tell us what's going on?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"Troy told me I couldn't tell you what was going on. But he promised that you would like it." Coach Bolton told me.

"So where is Troy?" I asked him as I heard someone singing and turned towards the bleachers.

I covered my mouth as I saw Troy walking down the bleachers singing. I smiled as I walked over to him. He grinned as he came closer to me. He continued to sing as he wrapped his arms around me. He finished the song and gave me a gentle kiss.

"Is this your idea of getting me out of class?" I asked him as he kissed me again.

"Well I didn't get to see you this morning so I decided to pull you out of class." Troy told me as I smiled.

"So what is this all about, Mr. Bolton?" I asked him as he reached for my hand and gave it a squeezed.

"I was wondering if you would go on a date with me?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"I would love to. Friday night as usual?" I asked him as he gave me his boyish grin.

"Yeah I'll come pick you up at like 7." Troy told me as I nodded my head at him.

"That sounds great. Can I go back to class now?" I asked Troy as he shook his head at me.

"You and school. You're always one in the same." Troy told me as I grinned and laughed.

"You're right about that one. I'll see you later Romeo." I told him as he shook his head at me.

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**Ok this was one of the hardest chapters I've had to write. If you guys have ideas, please send them my way! Feedback is always appreciated!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys I had a little brain freeze with that last chapter but I think I'm back.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

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_**October 14, 2007 2:00 pm**_

"I can't believe you made me sit through _The Notebook_ again." Troy groaned as I watched the credits roll up the screen.

"Oh come on. You know you totally enjoyed that movie." I told him as he threw me a 'get real' look.

"I'm not some girly girl who sighs every time they see Allie and Noah kiss." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"No but I love you for sitting here and watching the movie with me." I told him as I leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"Ok you two break it up." Mom told me as she walked into the living room and sat down.

"Sorry ma. We were just talking." I told her as she shot me a look of 'yeah right'.

"So where are Tina and Lucas?" I asked her as she looked up the stairs and then looked back at me.

"Sleeping currently. Hopefully they'll stay there until 3:30." Mom told me as she got up.

"I'm going to the kitchen. Don't kill each other." Mom told us as she walked out of the room.

"You heard your mom. Don't kill me." Troy teased as I gave him a look which he returned.

"She said don't kill each other not don't kill you. Which I'm in a good position to kill you right now." I told him from my spot on the couch. He was lying on the floor with a pillow under his head.

"Who said you had the advantage?" Troy told me while getting up from his spot and coming over to me.

"Don't you know, the girl always has the advantage?" I asked him as he looked down at me lying on the couch.

"Who told you that? The tooth fairy?" Troy asked me as I sat up and looked at him.

"No the tooth fairy didn't tell me that. I read it in a magazine a while ago." I told him.

"Well I care to disagree." Troy told me as he held out his hand and brought me to my feet.

"Well I wish for you to prove it to me." I told him as he leaned over and gave me an earth shattering kiss.

"How was that?" Troy asked as we came up and I grinned at him while sitting down.

"I think you need to prove that to me once more." I told him as he kissed me again.

"Now how was that?" Troy asked me as I looked out our front window at the passing traffic.

"I'm still not convinced. But you're going to have to prove it to me later." I told him as I flipped through the TV channels.

Troy leaned over and took the remote out of my hands and pulled my face closer to his. He leaned over and very softly kissed my lips. I lost all sense of time and where I was. I was grinning as he pulled back.

"I'm pretty well convinced now that the guy always has control over the relationship." I told him as he threw his arms up in the air.

"I'm the king of the world!" Troy said as I shook my head in reply.

"You are admitting you've watched Titanic?" I asked Troy with shock in my voice.

"Actually I've never seen it but my sister rented it and had it loud enough that I caught some of the dialogue." Troy told me as I shook my head.

"I'm guess you watched it with your sister since she can be so convincing." I told him as he shook his head.

"You girls like to stick together don't you?" Troy asked me as I gave him a look.

"What do you mean by that? You're eyes proved to me that you just lied about Titanic." I told him as he looked at me in shock.

"I mean that girls will agree with anything else another girl says without proof. And how do you know my eyes were lying?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Your eyes are the entryway into the soul. Your eyes turn a different shade of blue when you're lying." I told him as he sat down on the couch.

"And how did you find that out, missy?" Troy asked me as he held out his hand and I linked our fingers together.

"Your mom told me that's how I find out if you're lying or not." I told him as he turned to me.

"She wasn't supposed to give that secret out." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"Well I guess you just got busted by me." I told him as he squeezed my hand.

"Gabi I have a question for you." Troy told me as he looked at the now turned off T.V.

"What's that? You can ask me anything, you know that." I told him as I looked at him.

"You know this coming week is Homecoming week and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Homecoming dance with me?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Sure I would love to go with you. I thought since we're boyfriend and girlfriend that we would automatically go together." I told him as he leaned over and gave me a kiss.

"I assumed that too but I thought I might ask you just to make sure we were on the same page." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"You're too sweet." I told him as he gently squeezed my hand again.

"So do you want to watch another movie?" Troy asked me as I got up and opened the shelf to where I kept the DVDs.

"Sure. How about you pick this one?" I asked him as he joined me where the DVDs were located.

"How about this one?" Troy asked while holding _The Patriot_.

"That one sounds great. Heath Ledger for me and killing and blood for you." I told him as he tickled my sides.

"That's for the Heath Ledger comment." Troy told me as he continued tickling me.

"Mercy, Troy! I give up." I told him as he leaned over me and grinned at me.

"Should I stop or should I continue?" Troy asked himself as I grinned at him.

"Are your angel and devil having an argument?" I asked him as he kissed me.

"Yeah and I'm thinking the angel is winning." Troy told me as I grabbed his neck and pulled him closer to my face and kissed him.

We spent the rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies. His parents and siblings came over for dinner and then we continued watching movies until it was time for him to go home.

**_November 9th, 2007 11:45 pm_**

Tonight was the night. Well the night before basketball season officially started. At midnight, our basketball team could officially start practicing for the season. I sat in the stands with my mom, who got a babysitter to watch Lucas and Tina, and Taylor and Kelsi. I looked around my mom and saw Hannah and Dana sitting there. I got up from my place and went and sat by Hannah.

"Isn't past your bed time young lady?" I asked Hannah as she grinned at me.

"We were just talking about you Gabi. And no. Mom promised me I could stay up and come here. This is my first time doing this." Hannah told me as I grinned.

"It's a lot of fun and you get to see your brother in his home." I told her as I said hello to Dana.

"How are you tonight, Gabi?" Dana asked me as I sat down and looked out to the court.

"I'm doing well. Troy made me promise him 50 times that I would be here tonight. I told him there would be no other place I would rather be." I told her as she grinned.

"He made Hannah and I promise that we would both be here too." Dana told me as I smiled.

"He's really nervous because it is his senior year and he wants to do the best he can." I told them.

"Yeah and he wants to impress college scouts. He's got too much pressure on him." Dana told me.

"Well I'm going to try to take some of pressure off of him. I'm trying but I don't know how successful I will be." I told her as Dana smiled at me.

"You are doing really well with him. He talks non stop about what the two of you do and how happy you make him." Dana told me as Jack walked out onto the gym floor.

"I want to welcome all of you to Wildcat Midnight Madness. You guys are the loyal fans that help this team get through our season. Now count down with me for the official start of the season. 10 . . . . 9 . . . . 8 . . . . 7 . . . . 6 . . . . 5 . . . 4. . . . 3 . . . . 2 . . . . 1. . . . Let the Wildcat Madness Begin!" Jack yell as the players ran out to the floor.

I grinned as I watched Troy out there on his court. Troy's grinned showed me that he was happy to be back where his heart was. I continued to watch him as he shoot baskets and did lay ups.

"Go Troy!" Hannah yelled as I turned around and flashed Hannah a grin which she returned.

We sat there and watched the team divide into two separate teams. They then played team on team basketball. I grinned when I noticed Chad and Troy on separate teams.

"What are you grinning about?" Hannah asked me as I looked at her as whispered in her ear.

"I'm just watching your brother play his heart out." I told her as she looked at me.

"This is cool. Now I know what he talks about when he mentions this." Hannah told me.

We continued watching the game until 1 am rolled around. Everyone broke up and all the families of the players walked down to the court. I smiled when I saw Troy run up to his mom, dad, and Hannah. I heard my name as I walked through the crowd.

"So what did you think of your boy, Gabi?" Chad asked me as he stopped me.

"I think he needs a little more practice before the season starts." I told him as he grinned.

"Well what about me?" Chad asked me hoping I would give him a lesser sentence.

"I think you need a little more practice than Troy does." I told him as someone came up behind me.

"Hey man, I know we share pretty much everything but you ain't getting your hands on her." Troy said as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Hey I was just asking her opinion on how we both played. I ain't getting any closer than that." Chad told Troy as Chad put his hands up in innocence.

"I'm know. Are you going to stick around?" Troy asked me as I shook my head at him.

"Yeah I'll stick around. You go take that shower and I'll wait by your parents." I told him as I looked around. The gym was pretty much cleared out now.

I walked over to Jack and Dana and stood by them. I smiled at Hannah as she dribbled a ball back and forth.

"Where did Troy go?" Jack asked me as he watched Troy jog off the court.

"I told him to go take a shower and we would wait for him." I told him as he nodded his head.

"Hannah let's go. I'm taking you on." I told her as I stole the ball away from her.

I dribbled the ball down to the end of the court and did a lay up. Hannah and I played while waiting for Troy to come out. We played for about 5 more minutes until Hannah went running towards the doors.

"Troy!" Hannah yelled as she ran to the doors where her brother stood with his boyish grin.

"Hey Hannah Banana. Did you have fun tonight?" Troy asked as we all walked over to where the brother and sister stood.

"I had a blast. Thanks for getting mom and dad to bring me." Hannah told her brother as she grinned up at him.

"Not a problem Hannah Banana." Troy told her as he grinned over at me.

"So what did you guys think?" Troy asked us as we all shook our heads at him.

"You need a little more practice. I'm thinking you might want to hit the gym a little more." I told him grinning.

"Well then that's going to cut into our date time." Troy told me grinning.

"Well I can live with that for a little while. I just want to see you play your best this season." I told him as his parents shook their heads at us.

"You're going to be ok this season, Troy. Don't listen to Gabi. You were great out there." Jack told Troy as I shook my head at him.

"Don't get angry Gabi. He's just teasing you." Dana told me as I smiled at her.

"I know. But we all know where Troy's going to be until the first game." I told her as Troy came over to me.

"I'm going to drive Gabi home. I'll be home by 2:30." Troy told his parents as we said our goodbyes.

Troy and I walked out to his truck and helped me in. I sat back in the seat as Troy jogged around to the driver's side.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked me as I watched him drive me home.

"How much I love seeing you play basketball and how happy it makes you." I told him as he smiled.

"Well I love playing but I love you more." Troy told me as I looked at him with shock written on my face.

"But I thought you always loved the game." I asked him as he pulled over to the side of the road and looked me in the eyes.

"I do love the game but I realized that I love you more than all of that. Basketball is what it is but you're here forever. Basketball is just a game and it's nice to have the glory but I want someone I can spend the rest of my life with." Troy told me as tears came running down my face.

"You're making me cry." I told him as he gently kissed my cheeks where the tears were.

"I'm not trying to make you cry. But it was the same way with my parents. My dad was a big basketball man until he met my mom. My grandpa kept bugging my dad about basketball until he put his foot down and told my grandpa that my mom came before basketball." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Troy, listen to me. I love coming to the games and watching you play. I don't want you to give that up. I love spending my Friday nights at a game, whether it's home or away, and love watching you play your heart out. I don't want you to give up basketball just because we're together." I told him as I held his hand.

"I'm not planning on giving up basketball. I couldn't do that. I'm just saying that you are more important to me than basketball. That's all." Troy told me as I gave him a kiss.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. I love you." I told him as he looked at me.

"You're welcome. I thought I should let you know where you stand with me." Troy told me as I smiled.

"All right. I get it. Thank you again." I told him as he pulled back onto the road and finished driving me home.

"Now let's get you home before your mom gets worried." Troy told me as I turned the radio up.

Troy drove me home and walked me up to the stairs. He kissed me on the porch as I gave him a hug.

"Does this mean we are at the next level?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.

"Yeah. We are now serious boyfriend and girlfriend." I told him as he looked at me.

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll hang out." Troy told me as I kissed him again.

He watched me walk upstairs before he walked back to his truck and drove away.

I stood up in my room and watched him drive down the street. I grinned as I saw him turn the corner. I sat on my bed and hugged the white tiger Troy had gotten me for my last birthday. I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. I fell asleep with the grin on my face.

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**There you guys go. I would love to hear your ideas for the story! Please take time to review and feedback is always appreciated!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you guys for your reviews! You might want to read Chapter 5 again because it's going to come up later in the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the character not in the movie!**

_**December 18, 2007 6:45 pm**_

I sit in the bleachers watching Troy and the rest of the East High Wildcats warming up. I look over to the man talking to Jack Bolton and then glance back at Troy.

I hear someone come and sit down beside me. I give them a reassuring smiled as they pat my hand.

"You know who that guy is talking to Troy don't you Gabi?" Dana asked me as I shake my head.

"That's a guy who's got Troy's future in the palm of his hand. What college is he for?" I asked her as I smiled at Hannah, Sarah, and Nathan.

"He's for University of New Mexico." Dana told me as I continue to watch my boyfriend.

Troy jogs over to the sideline and motions for me to come down to him. I walk down there and smile when I get close to him.

"Remember you have nothing to prove but to yourself. Go and make me proud, baby." I told him as I give him a hug.

"I'm nervous, Gabi. This is worst then when we did the musical. I'm like shaking badly." Troy told me as I ruffled his hair a little.

"Don't think about the scout, Troy. Just think about the game and how much you want to murder West High Knights. You will be fine." I told him as he looked at me.

"Thank you and I'm glad you're in the bleachers tonight." Troy told me as I held his hand.

"Focus Troy. Just got out there and play your best and I will be happy." I told him as the team ran in the locker room.

"I love you and thank you for the pep talk." Troy told me as he kissed my hand and ran in after the team.

I cautiously walked back up to where Dana and the kids were sitting. I sat down as Dana gave me a look.

"How's he doing?" Dana asked me as I shook my head at her and looked towards the floor.

"He's nervous and I don't know if anything I just told him sunk through." I told her as she grabbed my hand.

"He will be fine. He's our boy and he will get through this." Dana told me as I smiled.

"He's going to be just fine. I can count on that." I told her as the Wildcats came running onto the floor.

The game started and I was watching every move Troy made. I saw the scout write down a couple of things and nod his head when Troy made a perfect three pointer.

Before I knew it, half time was upon us. I saw Jack motion for me and Hannah to come down and see him. We both walked down and stood in front of him.

"Gabi he needs someone to talk to. Will you go talk to him?" Jack asked me as I nodded my head.

"Yeah where is he?" I asked him as he led me into the locker room. I saw all the guys sitting around and smiling at me.

"He's in my office. Try to calm him down a little bit." Jack told me as he left me at the door.

I walk in and see Troy sitting in his dad's chair with his head down on the desk. I walk over to a chair and sit down. We just sit in silence until Troy picks his up and looks at me.

"Hey you. You want to talk?" I asked him as he came and sat down by me.

"I've blown my chances." Troy told me simply and I look at him and shake my head.

"_Cause you had a bad day _

_You're taking one down _

_You sing a sad song just to turn it around _

_You say you don't know _

_You tell me don't lie _

_You work at a smile and you go for a ride _

_You had a bad day _

_The camera don't lie _

_You're coming back down and you really don't mind _

_You had a bad day"_

Troy grinned as I sang his favorite song at the moment. Troy grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it.

"Don't loose faith. You haven't messed anything up yet. I saw the scout nod his head and grin at you a couple of times. Don't say that you've messed it up until you hear it from the scout's mouth." I told as he nodded.

"It just feels like I'm not playing my best and I don't know what to do." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"I think you forgot your good luck charm." I told him as I gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.

"Hm . . . maybe that's what I forgot to do. Thanks Gabi." Troy told me as we both stood up.

"Remember to play your heart out. Show that scout what we all know you are capable of." I told him as I gave him another kiss and as he walked out of the office to join his team mates.

I walked through the locker room and caught Jack's eye. He grinned at me in thanks. I walked out to the gym and walked back up to my place in the bleachers.

"What was that all about?" Dana asked me as I looked at her.

"I was trying to calm Troy down a little so he could focus on the game. I think it worked." I told her grinning.

"Do I want to know?" Dana asked me as we watched the team run back onto the court. I watched Troy shoot three pointers after three pointers and make them.

"No you really don't want to know. You would give me the evil eye if I told you." I told her as she shook her head.

The game started and before I knew it, Wildcats had claimed victory. 76-56 was the final score. I watched the student section run out to the court and lift Troy up in the air. Dana handed me Sarah as we walked down the bleachers. Hannah, Dana, and I walked over to Jack and congratulated him.

"Actually, Gabi I should be telling you congratulations." Jack told me as he took Sarah from my arms.

"Why should you be doing that?" I asked him as I took Nathan from Dana's arms.

"Because whatever you told him in the office worked wonders. He played brilliantly after he spoke with you." Jack told me as I smiled.

"Thank you, I think. I just talked him down and gave him a little hope." I told him as he smiled at me.

"Well it worked. And here's comes superstar now!" Jack told me as I locked eyes with Troy.

Troy came over and gave Dana a kiss on the cheek and shook hands with his dad. He ruffled Hannah's hair as he smiled at me. He took Sarah from his dad and gave her a kiss on her plump cheek. He came over and gave me a kiss. I smiled as he kissed Nathan's cheek after he kissed mine.

"So what is the plan?" Troy asked his parents as they gave him a look.

"Well I'm going to speak for all of us. The first thing you have to do is go take a shower. You stink!" I told him as he wrapped me in a hug.

"Well now technically you stink too." Troy told me as Dana and Jack took Nathan and Sarah from us.

"You're a dead man Troy Douglas when I get my hands on you." I told him as he ran to the locker room.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" Jack asked me as I grinned at him.

"Probably nothing. Well you could give Troy a butt load of homework. Wait that wouldn't work because he would come over to my house to get me to help him. I don't know what you are going to do. He's your son." I told him as Jack shook his head at me.

"You're a piece of work, Gabi and I can see why my son loves you." Jack told me as I smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I told him as I took Sarah from his arms.

"Can't I have a moment with my daughter?" Jack asked me as I glance at Hannah.

"Yeah you can. Have a moment with Hannah." I told him as he grinned at me as I place Sarah on the gym floor. I held her hands as she started walking.

The doors opened and in came walking a freshly showered Troy Bolton. He came up to us and picked Sarah up and threw her up in the air, catching her.

He captured me in a kiss before walking over to his parents who were talking to the scout.

"You must be Troy, the one I've been hearing so much about." The scout asked him as he shook his hand.

"Troy Bolton." Troy said as he held out his hand to shake hands.

"Greg Schooler, scout for UCLA." The man introduced himself and as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you. So what did you think?" Troy asked Greg as a grin crept up on Greg's face.

"I'm impressed. You've got great potential and I think you would be a great asset to the UCLA team." Greg told Troy as I looked at the man with a smile on my face.

"Now I can't say this officially yet but I think you have a shot on the UCLA team." Greg told Troy as Troy grinned.

"Thank you so much. Now what do I need to do?" Troy asked the man as I shook my head.

"You've filed an application all ready I see. So I'm going to be attending a few more games just to watch you in different settings. I'll be in contact." Greg told Troy as they shook hands again.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Schooler." Troy said with a grin on his face.

Jack and Greg started to talk as Troy picked me up and swung me around the gym.

"This is your dream, babe. I'm so proud of you." I told him as he grinned at me.

"I know and I'm glad you're here to share it with me. I love you." Troy told me as he kissed me.

"Hm . . . I love you too." I told him as Jack and Dana called us.

"We're going out to eat, to celebrate, Gabi if you want to come along?" Jack asked me as I shook my head.

"I would love to, if that's ok?" I asked him as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"That is perfectly ok with us. You helped Troy tonight and this is our way of repaying you." Jack told me as I shook my head.

"Thanks but you guys don't have to repay me." I told him as we walked out to their 2006 Toyota Sequoia.

Troy and I buckled Sarah and Nathan into their car seats and then crawled to the way back to sit. We went out to dinner before Troy's parents dropped me off at my house. Troy walked me to the front door where he gave me a good night kiss.

_**December 25th, 2007 12:00 pm**_

I smiled as I opened the front door and saw the Bolton clan standing there with either a baby or presents in their arms.

"Merry Christmas, guys. Come on in." I told them as they all walked into the living room.

"What a mess!" Dana told me with a grin on her face as she sat down with Sarah.

"We tried to clean it up but Tina and Lucas just wanted to play in the paper. How was your morning so far?" I asked them Troy and Jack rearranged all the presents under the tree.

"Great. Sarah and Nathan were up at 6 and Troy and Hannah got up a little later than that. We had presents opened by 8 and then we had breakfast. What about you guys?" Dana asked me as mom came down the stairs.

"The same. Lucas and Tina were up at like 6:30 and I got up at 7. And mom and I have been trying to clean up but as you can see, those two like the paper." I told her as I watched Lucas, Tina, Sarah, and Nathan play with the wrapping paper.

"Hey guys. Merry Christmas." Mom said as she sat down next to Hannah and tickled her.

"Merry Christmas Anna. How are you this morning?" I heard Dana asked as I snuck upstairs. I had to get Troy's gift and sneak it downstairs.

"So what did you sneak up here for?" I heard a voice from my bedroom door that scared me half to death.

"You scared me half to death, Troy Bolton." I told him as I quickly closed my closet door.

"Hm . . . You're being sneaky Gabi." Troy told me as I walked over to him and gave him a kiss.

"Hm . . . I thought you liked a sneaky girl but I guess not." I told him as I walked back over to the closet.

"It depends on what you're hiding." Troy told me as he walked up behind me.

"It's your Christmas present which you are not going to get unless you walk your cute butt downstairs and wait patiently." I told him.

"But that won't be any fun." Troy told me as he tried to peek into my closet.

"Come on Troy, please don't ruin the surprise." I told him as he looked at me.

"All right, I guess I could wait a few minutes." Troy told me as he gave me a look.

"Gabi, Troy come on we're going to open presents now." Mom yelled form downstairs.

"I promise you will love it." I told him as he gave me a look and as we walked downstairs.

We walked downstairs and I quickly put Troy's presents under the tree and went and sat by him.

"Who's going to play Santa today?" Jack asked Hannah, Troy, and I as we each looked at each other.

"I guess I can be Santa this year." Troy told me as I laid out on the couch.

Troy started to hand out the gifts. He handed me my gift with a smile on his face.

I carefully read the card that said To Gabi from the Bolton family. I smiled as I carefully opened the box. I gasped when I saw a scrapbook lying in the box. I took it out and flipped through the pages. I smiled when I saw all the pictures of Troy and I through the last 2 years we've been dating.

"Thank you. I love it." I told Dana, Jack, and Hannah as I looked at them.

I sat there watching Lucas, Tina, Sarah, and Nathan playing in the wrapping paper instead of their toys. I shook my head as Troy came and sat beside me.

"Did you open your presents?" I asked him as his eyes flew towards my voice.

"From your family or from you?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"From the family." I told him as he shook the box that I had wrapped earlier that morning in front of me.

"I'm about to. Then we'll exchange our gifts we got each other." Troy told me as I smiled.

I sat there and watched him carefully unwrapped the paper. I shook my head as he gave me a look.

"You were one of those kids who ripped through presents without even bothering to look at them, were you?" I asked him as his boyish grin returned.

"No I took my time when I opened my presents." Troy told me as I shook my head at him.

"Well by the time you open that present, I'm going to be an old grandma on my death bed." I told him as he laughed.

"Leave it to you to over dramatic things." Troy told me as I smacked his arm.

"Let's get a move on, Troy. I'm dying of boredom." I told him as he finished opening the box.

Inside the box sat a brand new watch. I watched Troy take it out and flip it over, knowing we had engraved a message on the back. I saw his eyes read over the words, "_To keep your time with Gabi with. Merry Christmas, Troy" Christmas 2007_

"Thank you guys. I love it." Troy told me as he gave me a kiss on the cheek and as he hugged my mom.

"Your welcome. Gabi came home a couple of weeks ago and told me your watch broke so we got you a new one." Mom told him as he grinned.

"Well I love it." Troy told her as we sat in silence for a few minutes. The parents looked at Troy and I as we sat there holding hands.

"There are more presents under the tree, you two. Aren't you going to open them?" Jack asked us as we both nodded our heads.

"We were just getting to that." Troy told his dad as I got up from where I was sitting and went and sat by the tree.

"Do you want to go first or me?" I asked him as he handed me a present.

"Well I guess I'll go first. Do these go in any particular order?" I asked Troy as he grinned.

"Read the tag, Gabi. Geez and you're supposed to be the smart one." Troy told me as I gave him a look.

"You're lucky its Christmas morning or you would be a dead man." I told him.

"Just open the present, Gabi or I'm going to be on my death bed." Troy told me using the same exact words I used less than five minutes ago.

"Retract the claws, Gabi and just open the present." Mom told me as I carefully read the tag. It said "_Gabi, I hope all your wishes come true and dream big. Love, Troy._"

I opened the box and was in amazement when I pulled out a ring that looked like it came out of a Cracker Jack box.

"Do you wish to explain?" I asked him as he had his boyish grin on his face.

"Yeah it's a little preview before the real one that's going to be placed on your finger." Troy told me as he nodded to the next box.

I opened the next one and found a notebook. I flipped it opened and found a bunch of writing. I flipped it open to a page from August 16th, 2005. I grinned as I started to read.

_Well I officially have a girlfriend, well kind of sort of. I asked Gabriella Montez out on a date and she accepted. I like this girl so much so I'm hoping I don't make a fool out of myself. Now I've got to go figure out what we're going to do. Later._

I smiled as I flipped some more pages. I looked at Troy and grinned at him.

"Is this trying to tell me something?" I asked him as he nodded his head.

"I just wanted you to see what an average guy goes through when he's trying to ask a girl out." Troy told me as I leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"I love them Troy. Thank you." I told him as he handed me one other box.

"This is the last one, I promise." Troy told me as I opened the box and looked inside.

There were three sets of tickets in that box. I pulled each one out and was impressed.

"Wait you need to explain these." I told him as he took my hand and started to talk.

"Well you and I are going to see Wicked in Albuquerque when it comes because you love the musical and I love to see you smile. The next set of tickets is to go see Beauty and the Beast over Spring Break in Salt Lake. And the last set of tickets are to go see Moving Out because I know how much you love Billy Joel's music." Troy told me as a few tears escaped my eyes.

"I love them but you hate musicals." I told him as he grinned at me.

"No I don't. I just make you think I do. I'm going because it's something you like to do." Troy told me as I leaned over and kissed his lips.

"Thank you. Now it's time to open yours." I told him as I handed him a box.

He quickly tore open the box and his eyes flew up to me in surprise. I had given him a photo album full of pictures I had taken of him playing basketball. I smiled as he flipped through the album.

"When did you do this?" Troy asked me as he stopped at the page I had snuck in practice and taken shots of him goofing off with the guys.

"I did it here and there. Most of those are from the past few weeks from all the games." I told him as he smiled.

"I love it and thank you." Troy told me as I handed him another box. This one, I knew was going to tick him off a little.

He opened the box and there was another box and another box until on the very bottom laid a white envelope.

"You put me through all that just for a little envelope?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"I couldn't just hand you an envelope. That would have been too easy." I told him as he carefully opened the envelope.

Inside laid two courtside NBA tickets. His eyes flew up in surprised at me.

"These are almost impossible to get. How did you get them?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

"Well you never asked what my dad use to do before he died. He was an athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team told us after he died that if we ever wanted tickets to give them a call." I told Troy as he stood up and picked me up and swung me around.

"I love you so much. You know that right?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.

"I know but you didn't look in the envelope did you?" I asked him as he picked up the envelope.

Inside was a letter that Troy totally forgot about. I smiled as he started to read it.

"You have to be kidding me. We get to go before the game and meet the players?" Troy asked me as I smiled.

"Not only meet them but get to play a little shoot around with them." I told him Jack came and stood by us.

"I'm a little jealous of you two." Jack told me as I grabbed the tickets out of Troy's hands.

"No need. There are three tickets here. You, me, and Troy." I told him as he grinned at me.

"When is the game?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"December 30th at the arena in Phoenix." I told them as Troy came over and kissed me.

"I love you and I can't thank you enough for this." Troy told me as he hugged me.

They stayed over until well past dinner. Troy couldn't stop thanking me for his present. I just waved my hand at him and told him to stop it or I would take his mom and my mom and leave the guys at home with the kids. Troy stopped thanking me after that.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

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_**January 7, 2008 8:00 am**_

I sat in my Anatomy class which Coach Bolton taught. I was tapping my pencil against my notebook waiting for the announcements to be done.

"Miss Montez, please? We're trying to watch this." Coach Bolton told me as I stopped my tapping.

"Sorry Coach Bolton." I told him as I laid my head on top of my hand and sighed.

"And over the weekend the following people had birthday's, Gabriella Montez, turned 18; Cole Daniels, turned 16; and Brittany Walkers, turned 15. Happy late Birthday to all." The secretary's voice said as the announcements went off.

"Happy late Birthday, Gabi." I heard my fellow classmates around me say as I started tapping my pencil again.

"Now that we've seen announcements, we can get on with Anatomy." Coach Bolton told us as he started a power point presentation.

I settled in for 60 minutes of boring material. I sat there wondering what Troy was doing at the same time in gym. Knowing him, he would be shooting baskets.

"Gabi can you tell the class what the answer is?" Coach Bolton asked as I was pulled out of my day dream.

"I'm sorry what was the question?" I asked him as he shook his head at me.

"What are the two names of the chambers of the heart?" Coach Bolton asked me as I smiled.

"The Atrium and the Ventricles." I told him as he nodded his head at me.

"Correct. I would appreciate you paying attention, Miss Montez." Coach Bolton told me as I stared up at the TV screens on the wall of the room.

The class seemed to pass by very slowly. Finally the bed rung and I rushed out of the classroom. I saw Troy standing there waiting for me.

"Wait, Miss Montez. I would like a word with you." Coach Bolton told me as I heard my classmates tell me 'busted' and 'that's gotta suck'.

I caught Troy's eye and told him to wait. I walked up to Coach Bolton's desk and stood there.

"Yes, Coach Bolton?" I asked him as he looked up from grading papers to look at me.

"You seem distracted, Gabi. Is there anything going on that I or my son should know about?" Coach Bolton asked me as I looked at him.

"Lucas and Tina were up all night crying due to them both being sick. I didn't get much sleep last night." I told him as he nodded his head.

"I'll buy it for now. But can you please try to pay attention in my class from now on." Coach Bolton told me as I smiled.

"I'll try. But can you try teaching something more exciting?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"Gabi it's the human body and it's all exciting." Coach Bolton told me as Troy stuck his head in the room.

"Is it all right to come in here?" Troy asked me as I shot him a look of thanks.

"Yeah I just had to talk to Gabi about her time in class." Coach Bolton told me as I shook my head.

"Gabi was acting up in class? That's got to be a first." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Let's get out of here before we're both late for English." I told them as I pulled Troy out of the classroom and down the hall.

_**9:20 am**_

"Gabi, what happened in my dad's room this morning?" Troy whispered to me as I tried to pay attention in English.

"Your dad caught me daydreaming and called me out on it. It's nothing." I told him as I shot him a smiled.

"Meet me in our secret spot during lunch." Troy told me as I shot him a look before turning back to the teacher.

_**12:00 pm**_

I ran up the stairs that led to Troy and mine secret spot. I smiled as I sat down on the bench and waited for Troy to come. I saw him jog up the stairs and then look at me.

"If you are lying to me, I don't know if we can continue this." Troy told me flat out.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him as he looked at me and I shook my head.

"You were staying up all night with your siblings. Is it true?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"Yeah Tina and Lucas have cold and they were fussy last night. Mom asked me to stay up with them." I told him as he grabbed my hand.

"What about the last few days? The gang and I've noticed you've been off a little bit. What's going on, Gabi?" Troy asked me as I took a deep breath, preparing myself to tell him.

"My mom got a phone call the other day that took both her and me by surprise." I told him as he squeezed my hand.

"What was the phone call about?" Troy asked as I looked at him and smiled.

"The phone call was from my grandmother." I told him and as he interrupted.

"I thought you talked to your grandmother all the time." Troy told me as I shook my head.

"Not this grandmother. The grandmother that called was my father's mother. Mom or I haven't talked to her since the funeral. So it came as a shock to hear from her." I told him as his face shown shock.

"Oh wow Gabi. I can't understand why you haven't been yourself lately." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"That's not the only part. My grandmother wants to see me after all these years. I haven't seen here in like 12 years." I told him as he shook his head.

"Are you going to see her?" Troy asked as a flower by us, caught my eye.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I'm curious on why she didn't keep in touch with us but at the same time I'm mad at her." I told him as he squeezed my hand.

"Is she coming out here or are you going by here?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"She lives in New York so I told her that if I agree to see her, then she would have to come out here because I have school and I can't miss any days." I told him as he nodded his head.

"Of course. I hope you agree to see her." Troy told me as I nodded my head.

"I'm leaning towards agreeing to see her but I have a favor to ask of you." I told him as he looked at me.

"And what kind of favor would that be?" Troy asked me as I squeezed his hand.

"I want you there when I see her again. I know my mom will be there but I want you there also." I told him as he looked at me.

"If you want me there, then I will be there." Troy told me as I gave him a hug.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I made you worry so much." I told him as he shook his head.

"I did worry, yes but I was more concerned about you and what was going on that you weren't the normal Gabi that I fell in love with. Promise me that next time something comes up, you'll tell me?" Troy asked me as I nodded my head.

"I will I promise." I told him as I leaned over and gave him a simple kiss. We had a mini-make out session until the bell interrupted us.

"Come on. Let's not be late for class." I told him as I grabbed his hand and we ran back downstairs to our classes.

**_January 19th, 2008 1:00 pm_**

"Gabi chill out. You're making me sick by pacing the floor." Troy told me as I paced back and forth in the entry way of the house.

I had agreed to see my father's mother. Today was the day that I would see her again after 12 long years of no correspondence. My grandmother had flown in from New York and was staying a short 4 days before flying back.

"Gabriella sit down and calm yourself." Mom told me as I shot her a look.

"Wow! That's got to be a first." Troy told me as I shot him a look which he grinned at.

"A first for what?" Mom asked him as she sat down in her favorite easy chair.

"The first time I've ever heard you call her by her whole name." Troy told my mom as she smiled.

"I don't do it often but when the time calls for it, it has to be done." Mom told Troy as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. You try to calm her down, Troy." Mom told us as she stood up and answered the door.

"Isabelle it's so good too see you again." I heard mom say as she opened the door.

"Anna it's been way too long. You have a beautiful house." My grandmother answered as mom led her into the living room.

"Isabelle this is your granddaughter, Gabriella and her boyfriend, Troy." My mom introduced us as I got up and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Troy. Gabriella it's been too long and I'm partly to blame for that." My grandmother told me as I smiled.

"Please call me Gabi. Gabriella is only when I'm in trouble." I told her as she smiled.

"I know the feeling. Isabelle is only when I'm in trouble. Please call me Belle." My grandmother told me as I smiled.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Mom asked as we sat down. Troy and I sat on one couch; Belle and mom on another.

"No thank you. I'm quite all right." Belle told me as I looked at her. I could see similarities between me and her.

"So how have you been, Gabi?" Belle asked me as I linked my fingers with Troy's and smiled at her.

"I've been good. We moved here about 4 years ago. I'm a senior in high school and I'm just hanging out with friends and Troy." I told her as she smiled.

"And how long have you two been dating, if you don't mind me asking?" Belle asked me as I looked at Troy.

"3 years 5 months." I told her as she nodded her head at me. I shot a smiled in Troy's direction.

"Wow that's a long time. Congratulations. You are probably wondering why I suddenly called you. Am I right?" Belle asked me as I shook my head.

"I've been trying to figure it out. The call being so out of the blue." I told her as Troy squeezed my hand.

"It was my husband's dying wish for me to contact you guys and catch up on what's been going on for the past 12 years. I regret it now that I didn't stay in contact with you guys, after the funeral. Gabi, your mom has been sending me pictures of you through out the years and I can see your father in you. Especially your smile and your eyes." Belle told me as I smiled at her.

"By why didn't you keep in touch after the funeral? Mom and I needed family around after he died." I told her as tears came to my eyes.

"I tried to call you guys but I would dial three digits and then hang up the phone. I couldn't look at those photos of you for a while because you reminded me so much of your father. It hurt too much." Belle told me as I looked at her.

"There is so much I don't know about my father and I was hoping that during this visit, you could share some stuff about him that I don't know. What did he like to do? What was his favorite color? All these questions I don't know and I want to know." I told her as she took out an envelope and handed it to me.

"Your father requested this me to give this to you on your 18th birthday. Its 11 days late but I thought you should have this." Belle told me as I looked at it.

I flipped it over and saw the familiar scrawl I was used to. _'To my dearest Gabi on your 18th birthday.' _I smiled as I read the writing. I looked up at my grandmother and went and hugged her.

"Thank you for bringing this by. I'll read it later." I told her as we continued to talk.

_**9:00 pm**_

I sat in my room on my bed, staring at that letter. My mom, Belle, and Troy were all sitting downstairs talking. I heard a knock on my door. I yelled come in and saw the door slowly start to open.

"Hey you. Are you all right?" Troy asked me as he came and sat down beside me on the bed.

"I'm fine. I'm just trying to cough of the courage to open the letter." I told him as he nodded.

"When you decide to open the letter, I'll be here for you, if you want me to." Troy told me as I nodded.

"Will you sit with me as I open it?" I asked him as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

I gently opened the envelope and took out the crisp white pieces of paper. I felt tears come to my eyes as I unfolded the letter that seemed unforgotten.

_Dearest Gabi,_

_You're finally 18 and I wish I could see how much you've grown. You're my sweet girl and I love you. Always remember that. As I'm writing this, I'm staring at your sweet face and your laughter keeps ringing in my ears. You are the most important thing to me besides your mother. _

_I'm sorry I could not be there for this big milestone in your life. Remember that I am with you in spirit. I am your biggest fan whether you know it or not. I'm cheering for you kiddo. _

_I remember the day I told you we were going to see Michael Jordan and Bulls play. You were so excited. Your mother and I couldn't get you out of your Bulls' uniform. You slept in that thing every night until the game. It breaks my heart to know that I let you down. I'm so sorry that I couldn't take you to that game. All I wanted was to get home and get you and your mother and take my girls out to the game. _

_I wish I could have seen you all grown up. But remember there is going to be a guy in your life, sometime, that is going to care for you the way I did. Let him in and tell him everything about you. Hold nothing back and you will have the greatest relationship possible. You might have someone special sitting with you while you read this, but remember that I love you always and I am watching over you. _

_When you met the guy you want to marry, just remember all the things I would have done to him. I'm going to miss torturing the guy that you're going to marry. You are my princess and someday, maybe sooner than you think, you will marry your prince charming. Remember me, by putting a different color flower in your bouquet on your wedding day. I will be watching from up above and smiling over you all the days of your life!_

_I love you my sweet girl._

_Daddy _

While I was reading that, Troy had wrapped his arms around me and tears were freely flowing down my face. I cried into Troy's chest as his hand was rubbing up and down my back.

We just sat there, both of us crying, for about 20 minutes. I picked my head up from Troy's shoulder and looked at him.

"Are you all right?" Troy asked me as he wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

"Yeah I am. Thank you for sitting with me while I read the letter." I told him as he smiled.

"It was no problem. I want to have my old Gabi back." Troy told me as he kissed my temple.

"You will but it's going to take a little longer." I told him as he rubbed my back.

"You ready to go back downstairs?" Troy asked me as I leaned into his warm embrace.

"Yeah let's get this over with." I told him as we walked downstairs and sat down on the couch.

We talked with Belle and mom as Troy held my hand the entire time. Mom and Belle talked about how my dad was as a person and all of his favorites. We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the night.

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**There you guys go! Feedback and reviews are, as always, appreciated! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I own the characters not in the movie!**

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**_February 26th, 2008 3:30 pm_**

Troy and I walked home holding hands and Troy swinging them back and forth. I giggled as Troy started swinging them back and forth quickly.

"Troy stop. You're hurting my hand." I told him as he flashed me his boyish grin.

"I'm sorry babe." Troy told me as he dropped a kiss on my forehead and I smiled at him.

"Hold on, I've got to get the mail." I told Troy as I stopped at the mailbox. I quickly flipped through the mail before going and standing next to Troy.

We walked into the house and walked towards the kitchen. I dropped the mail on the table and went over to the sink. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it up. I turned around and saw Troy flip through the mail. He had an envelope in his hand.

"What do you have?" I asked him as I placed the glass in the sink and walked over to him.

"Oh a little thing called an envelope." Troy told me as he held the envelope high in the air.

"Come on Troy; don't do this with me like that." I told him as I heard someone walk down the stairs.

"What are you doing to my daughter, Troy?" Mom asked Troy as he jumped about 3 feet in the air and dropped the envelope on the table.

"Anna, don't do that again. You scared me half to death." Troy told my mom as I picked up the envelope and grinned at mom.

"Thanks mom. If it wasn't for you, Troy would probably still be teasing me." I told her as she nodded her head.

"What's so important about the envelope?" Mom asked as the doorbell rang.

"Don't answer that until I get back." Mom told me as she went and answered the door.

My mom came back with Dana and both of them had grins on their faces. Troy and I looked over them suspiciously before opening our mouths.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them as we all sat down around the kitchen.

"Troy got an interesting looking envelope in the mail and I was on the phone with Anna and she said that you both just came into the house, so we decided to come over. Here Troy." Dana said as she handed a similar looking envelope like mine.

"What does your say?" I asked him trying to peek at the envelope's return address.

"New Mexico State University. What about yours?" Troy asked me as I looked at the returned address.

"The same. At the count of three, open them." I told him as we started to count.

"One . . . two . . . three." We both said as we started tearing opening the envelope.

My eyes quickly scanned the words on the paper and grinned in response.

'_Congratulations Miss Gabriella Montez on your achievements and welcome to the class of 2012!' _

I screamed in response and looked over at Troy's letter. He had his boyish grin and looked at me.

"You in?" I asked him as he looked at me and flashed me his boyish grin.

"I'm in. You in?" Troy asked me as he picked me up and spun me around.

"I'm in. Ok mothers you can stop crying now." I told our moms as I turned to them.

"We're just so proud of you guys." Dana told me as she tried to wipe her tears away.

"We haven't done anything yet. We just got acceptance letters." Troy told our moms as we hugged both of them.

"You guys are growing up so fast. We're mothers and we're allowed to cry." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"I'm not leaving mom. I'll still be around when you need me." I told her as she nodded her head.

"I know and I'm glad you're going to be around. Las Cruses is only a 2 hour drive away. You know you can come home anytime." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Look at you. You're trying to kick me out of the house and I haven't even graduated yet." I told her as she smiled.

"I'm just telling you to keep your options open." Mom told me as I looked over at Dana and Troy. Dana was whispering to Troy like my mom was to me.

"Any more surprises, you two?" I asked them as Troy came and stood beside me, grabbing my hand, and squeezed it as I grinned.

"Well there are a couple of other letters that need to be open." Mom told me as I gave her a look.

"I've been getting the mail this whole year and there have been no other letters." I told her as she shook her head.

"I've been getting the college acceptance letters as they have come so I could surprise you with them." Mom told me as shock covered my face.

"Haha you're mom is even sneakier than you." Troy told me as I threw him a look.

"I wouldn't be talking, Troy." Dana told him as Troy whipped around and looked at his mom.

"What are you talking about, mom?" Troy asked his mother as I watched his reaction.

"I've been doing the same thing as Anna has all year. I've been hiding your acceptance letters." Dana told her son as we both looked at our mothers.

"Where are the letters?" We both asked as our mother went and retrieved the letters from where they had hidden them. Dana and mom handed us each 3 other letters.

It took about 5 seconds for Troy and I to rip open each of the envelopes. Each one I opened, was an acceptance. After we were done, we turned to each other.

"How did you do?" Troy asked me as I flipped through each of the envelopes.

"University of New Mexico: accepted; University of Southern California: accepted; and Brown University: accepted. What about you?" I asked him as he looked at me.

"University of NM accepted; UCLA accepted and Duke accepted." Troy told me as I gave him a hug.

"You two have to make a decision by March on where you guys are going so we can decide whether or not you're going to live on campus." Mom told us as I looked at her.

I went upstairs and sat on my bed. I knew we were struggling with money as it was but I knew college would send my mom over the top. I heard someone knock at the door as I looked up. Troy pushed the door open wider and came and sat down beside me.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked as he took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"About how my mom isn't going to be able to pay for my tuition for college." I told him as he looked at me.

"You don't know that Gabi. Sure you guys don't have much but maybe she put money away for you for your college education." Troy told me as I shook my head.

"My parents started a college fund but mom had to dip into it after my dad died." I told him as he shook his head.

"You'll be able to go to college, Gabi. You'll probably get a scholarship, knowing you." Troy told me as smiled crept up on my face

"Thank you for making me smile. Now the million dollar question, what colleges are you thinking about accepting?" I asked him as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm thinking Duke is out of the question because I couldn't be away from you. What about you?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"As much as I want to go, I think Brown is out of the question too." I told him as he nodded at me.

"So we're left with the California and New Mexico schools." Troy told me as I nodded at him.

"If I go to USC and you go to UCLA, we'll only be about 20 minutes away. And if we go to the New Mexico schools, we'll be right by each other." I told him as he nodded his head.

"We don't have to make a decision today but we need to make one soon." Troy told me as he hugged me closer to him.

"Promise me that we'll keep in touch if we go to different schools." I told him as I held his hand.

"I promise; I'm not letting you go that easily." Troy told me as I nodded at him.

We stayed in my room until we heard the doorbell ring. We both got up and walked downstairs to see Troy's dad standing there with our moms.

"Dad what's up?" Troy asked his dad as we walked down the stairs, hand in hand.

"Your mom called me saying that you had good news to share. So I cut out of the meeting early and came right over. What's up?" Jack asked as I squeezed Troy's hand.

"I've been accepted to all the colleges that I applied to." Troy told his dad as Jack broke out into a grin.

"Congratulations! I knew you would do it." Jack told Troy as I smiled in the fact that Jack was happy.

"But there is something you should know dad." Troy continued as we sat down in the living room.

"What is it Troy?" Jack asked as Dana and he held hands and looked at Troy and I.

"I've decided that I'm not going to Duke. I'm going to UCLA, UNM, or NMSU." Troy told his dad as Troy and I waited for Jack's reaction.

"If that's what you decide, then I'm supporting your decision. Now you have to pick from one of the three really good schools." Jack said as Troy and I looked at Jack.

"Are you serious dad? Because I decided that because I couldn't be away from you guys for that long of a time." Troy told his parents as they both smiled.

"I'm serious. I want you to be happy. And if that's not going to Duke, then it's not going to Duke." Jack told us as Troy grinned at me.

"Thanks dad. Now all we have to do is make a decision about what college will be best for me." Troy told his parents as they all nodded.

"Now what about you, Gabi?" Jack asked me as I squeezed Troy's hand.

"I got accepted into all the colleges I applied to. But I've all ready made a decision about one." I told them as mom gave me a look.

"Which one Gabi?" Mom asked me as I shook my head at her and smiled.

"Brown University. I can't be across the country from you, Lucas, and Tina. I can't do that to you guys. I have to make a decision about California or New Mexico." I told them as mom looked at me.

"I'm glad that you turned that one down. I didn't know what I was going to do with a child across the country from me." Mom told me as I went and gave her a hug.

"I promised I would be here for you, Lucas, and Tina. I'm not going to desert you because of college." I told her as she kissed my forehead.

"You still have great schools that want you at their college; you just have to make a decision about where you want to go." Mom told me as I smiled.

"Thanks mom. I knew you could make it all right." I told her as she hugged me closer.

The Boltons stayed until dinner time which Jack told us all that he was taking us out to eat. Jack and Dana went home and picked up Hannah and the twins and came and met us at the restaurant. We laughed and just celebrated what Troy and I had accomplished.

_**9:00 pm**_

I sat in on my bed, stretched out, reading my English homework. I heard a knock on my door and looked at it as my mom came in. She sat down at my bed and looked at me.

"Is something wrong, Gabi?" Mom asked me as I sat up and looked at her.

"I'm worried about something." I told her as I started to chew on my lip.

"Gabi just tell me. I'm your mother and you're starting to worry me." Mom told me as I grabbed her hand.

"I'm worried that you're not going to have enough money to pay for my college education." I told her as I looked into her eyes.

"I thought you might bring this up. You cannot worry about this Gabi. Leave it to me." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"I can't leave it to you. I'm worried about you, Tina, and Lucas and how you guys are going to survive while you're trying to pay my college tuition." I told her as I started to pace the floor.

"Gabi you are 18 years old; you shouldn't be worrying about adult problems." Mom told me as she stood up and walked over to me.

"But mom this is money we're talking about. You have two 20 month old kids that you have to take care of. And you have an 18 year old going off to college. That is a lot of bills. How are you going to do all that?" I asked her as she grabbed me into a hug.

"Ok this calls for drastic measures. Your grandmother didn't want me to tell you this but I'm going to have to. Your grandparents have been putting money aside for you when you decided to go off to college. They have a bank account that we will take money out for your tuition." Mom told me as I gave her a look.

"You're kidding right? Why would Belle be putting money aside for me?" I asked her as she grinned and led me to my bed. We sat down and mom grabbed my hand.

"Your grandmother putting money aside for you was written in your father's will. Your grandparents were the executive of estate when your father's will was read. I wasn't at the reading of the will so I didn't know until Belle came and told me that your college tuition was all taken care of." Mom told me as I sat down.

"I can't believe it. Here I was freaking out and you had it under control." I told her as mom nodded her head.

"You're growing up too fast. You need to focus on school and on your relationship with Troy. I'll worry about you, Tina, and Lucas." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"Who's going to worry about you?" I asked her as she gave me a look which I laughed at.

"You can worry about me a little bit but not too much." Mom told me as I shook my head.

"Thank you mom." I told her randomly as she sat down beside me on the bed.

"For what? I haven't done anything special lately." Mom told me as I gave her a look.

"You haven't done anything special lately? That's an understatement. You are a great mother to me, Lucas, and Tina. You're a great friend to the people around you and you're a hardworking mother trying to make her children's lives simpler. If that's doing nothing special lately, then I'm Queen Elizabeth." I told her as mom laughed at me.

"All right missy. You need to get to bed soon. You have a busy day tomorrow." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"What do I have to do tomorrow?" I asked mom as she rolled her eyes at me.

"You have a little thing called school tomorrow! Or don't you remember that?" Mom asked me as I grinned at her.

"Isn't that where I go to learn?" I asked mom as she started to laugh at me.

"Finish your reading and then get into bed. And be quiet! I don't want Tina or Lucas to wake up anytime soon." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"Night mom and I love you." I told her as she kissed my forehead and walked towards the door.

"Night Gabi and I love you too." Mom told me as she gently shut my door. I reached over to my bedside and grabbed the cordless phone that was sitting there. I quickly dialed a number and listened to it ring. Someone mumbled a hello before I started to talk.

"How did you get so smart?" I asked the person as they sighed in reply and I giggled.

"I don't know. Maybe my beautiful girlfriend had a hand in that. Why are you asking?" Troy asked as I smiled.

"Because you were right with the whole money issue." I told him as he sighed again.

"How was I right?" Troy asked me as I rolled over onto my back on my bed.

"Mom had it all figured out. Part of my dad's will stated that there was suppose to be a college fund set up for me. So that was part of the reason Belle came down here last month, to tell my mom that was available for my tuition." I told Troy.

"I told you so. You need to start listening to me more often." Troy told me as I started to laugh.

"Listen to you? If I did that then I would be in detention with you most of the time." I told him.

"See there you go again. You're being mean." Troy told me as I started to laugh.

"Let me guess. Are you over there pouting?" I asked him as he started to laugh.

"Yeah but I need an apology from a certain someone." Troy told me as I kicked my foot up in the air.

"Hm . . . and would I know this certain someone?" I asked Troy.

"I think you know this certain someone. Would you like to meet me in front of my locker tomorrow and I'll introduce the two of you?" Troy asked me as I laughed.

"Sure I'll meet you at your locker tomorrow. Any thing else?" I asked him as he laughed.

"I kind of need a good night wish from you." Troy told me as I smiled from my end of the phone.

"A good night wish? Hm . . . I wish I am with my prince charming all the days of my life." I told him smiling.

"That's a pretty good wish. Hopefully it will come true for you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Now what's your good night wish?" I asked him as I looked at the clock that read 10:00.

"Hm . . . mine is that I'm with my princess all the days of my life and that my princess and I have a house full of kids someday." Troy told me as I awed.

"That's going to happen eventually. I promise you that." I told him flipping back over to my stomach.

"I know it is. Good night my princess. I love you." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Good night my prince charming. I love you too and I will see you tomorrow morning." I told him as his voice returned to the line.

"Sweet dreams, princess." Troy continued as I moved myself up to the pillows that were propped up by my head board.

"Sweet dreams, my prince charming." I told him as we both hung up the phone.

I held my English reading over my head and tried to finish reading the selection highlighted but I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face that was there from my conversation with Troy.

I knew one day, Troy would pop the question to me and I would say yes. Then we would get married, have kids, and grow old with each other. I smiled as I thought of my life and how it would pan out. I couldn't wait until the future really started.

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**There you guys go. I would still like to hear your ideas. Feedback and reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! Thank you to all of you who have done feedback on this story! You guys are the greatest!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

**A/N: Someone requested a tragedy of sorts so here it is! There is going to be some tragedy in this chapter! You've been warned!**

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_**March 7, 2008 6:30 am**_

"Come on, Gabi. It's time to get up." Mom's voice pulled me out of my deep slumber.

"Mommy I don't feel good." I told her rolling over and looking at her from my place on the bed.

I heard her pad over to my bed and put a hand on my head. She then moved her hand down to my cheek.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked me as I pulled the covers up to my chin and relaxed in the warmth of the bed.

"My muscles ache, I have a headache, and my throat is scratchy." I told her as she nodded her head.

"Ok I will call you into school today. You have to stay in bed and sleep." Mom told me as I nodded my head.

"All right. Night I'm going back to bed!" I told her as I rolled over and went back to sleep.

_**8:30 am**_

"Gabi it's time to wake up." I heard someone whispering as they crawled on my bed.

"But I don't want to get up. I'm fine right where I am." I said as the person started to play with my hair.

"I'm sorry you're sick. But I'm here to make you all better." A male voice replied as I slowly opened my eyes.

"I will love you forever if you brought meds with you." I said as I started to sit up in bed.

"Your mom had me bring these up." Troy told me as he handed me two pills and a glass of water.

"So why are you here?" I asked him as he wrapped me in a hug and started to sway back and forth.

"I'm sick. Or so my mom says. I'm happy because I'm missing school." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I woke up at 6:30 feeling worse than I've ever felt." I told him as he kissed my forehead.

"I'm sorry baby. I wish I could do something to make you feel better." Troy told me as he continued to kiss my forehead.

"Just you being here is making me feel better." I told him as we flipped on the TV.

We flipped through the channels, just seeing what was on. My hand come up to my mouth as Troy paused on a channel. It was a breaking news cast.

'_Now we're going to Michelle who is at Albuquerque's East High. Michelle what's going on?'_ A new caster at the studio said.

'_All we know, John, is that a student brought a gun into East High at 8:30 this morning and is holding students hostage.'_ Michelle said as the camera panned the outside of the school.

I don't even remember screaming until I saw Dana and mom run into the room.

"Gabi quit screaming. What's wrong?" Mom asked me as I just looked at her.

Troy and I couldn't speak. We were just sitting there in silence and shock. I pointed to the TV as mom and Dana watched it.

"This can't be happening. All of our friends and part of your family is in that building. I don't want to believe this." I said as Troy hugged me closer to him and I held his hand. Troy gave me a gentle kiss on my forehead that calmed me for a minute.

'_Michelle how is the situation there?'_ John, the news caster asked as the cameraman started to pan the area.

'_A few moments ago, a bunch of kids came running out of the building. We're going to see if we can go over there and try to talk to some of them.'_ Michelle said as they started to walk over to a group of kids.

"Our friends have to be all right." I said trying to convince myself than anyone else.

I looked up and my eyes gazed over the group of kids. I smiled when I realized who was in the group. Troy started pointing out our friends in the group.

"You can relax now princess. There's Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Jason, Zeke, Ryan, and Kelsi. They are all safe." Troy told me as I smiled at him.

"I don't see your dad, Troy." I whispered to him as he looked at me and squeezed my hand.

"I don't either but I'm sure he's safe." Troy told me as I looked over at his mom and my mom.

My mom caught my eye and motioned that they were going back downstairs. The phone rang as the moms went downstairs. I reached over and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" I asked as I laid back on my stomach and grabbed Troy's hand.

"Gabi where is Troy?" Jack asked me as I looked up at Troy sitting there stroking my hand.

"He's sitting right her next to me. Are you ok?" I asked him as Troy gave me a look.

"I'm fine. I'm out of the building but there are still kids in the building." Jack told me as I looked at Troy.

"I'm glad you're ok. All of our friends are out of the building." I told him as he sighed.

"I'm just glad you and Troy are ok." Jack told me as I handed the phone to Troy.

Troy talked to his dad while I walked downstairs and went into the kitchen.

"Who's on the phone?" Mom asked me as I grabbed the orange juice from the fridge.

"Jack. He's fine and he's on his way over." I told her as Dana looked up at me.

"Jack's fine?" Dana asked me as I motioned to the phone and she picked up.

I walked over to my mom and gave her a hug. She rubbed my arm and kissed my head.

"I'm so glad I didn't send you to school today." Mom whispered to me as I sighed.

"I'm glad you didn't send me to school either. I had to walk away from the TV. I couldn't stand to see anymore news on it." I told her as she nodded her head.

"It's going to change now, you know that right?" Mom asked me as I looked at her.

"I know and that's what I'm scared of. How's the rest of senior year going to go?" I asked her as she shook her head.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. It's going to be a learning experience for all of us." Mom told me as I heard a cry from upstairs.

"I'll go get them and calm them down. I need some good things in my life right now." I told her as I nodded my head to the stairs.

"Ok. Gabi if you or Troy need to talk let me know." Mom told me as she kissed my forehead and I walked upstairs.

I walked into Lucas and Tina's room and looked at the two cribs. Tina was playing with her feet and giggling. I picked her up as I looked in Lucas' crib and saw that he was sleeping peacefully. I sat down in the rocking chair and started rocking Tina back and forth.

"You are so lucky that you are a mere 21 months old and you don't know what wrong with the world yet. You have so much to learn. And I'm going to try to protect you from all the evils that are in the world." I whispered to her as she laid her head on my shoulder.

I just sat there rocking her back and forth until I noticed someone standing in the doorway of the room. I smiled at them as they came and dropped a kiss on mine and Tina's foreheads. Troy carefully picked Tina up and placed her in her crib. He then covered her up and grabbed my hand and led me out of the room.

Troy led me downstairs and out to our swing. We sat down and Troy played with my rings on my finger. I sighed in contentment.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked me breaking the silence that sat between us.

"I'm thinking about how we could have easily been in that school today. Your or I could have no been sick and we would have been walking down the halls and we could have been trapped in the school. That just scares me to death because I can't see my life without." I told him as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Events could have changed so easily. If I didn't tell my mom that I didn't feel well, she would have sent me on to school. And I could have been trapped in there with a neurotic gun man and I don't want to think about what would have happened." Troy told me as I gripped his hand tighter.

"I love you Troy. I don't want you to ever forget that. I love you to death." I told him as I gave him a kiss.

"I love you too, Gabi. You are way too special to me." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"Everything is going to be ok, isn't it? Senior year has changed now. It's not how it was before. Now everyone is going to be scared for the future and not the same carefree kids we were before this morning." I told him as he looked at me.

"Everything is going to change and I bet they are going to shut the school down for a while to get it cleaned up and then they continue on with school." Troy told me as a car pulled into our driveway.

Troy and I both jumped up and ran down to meet Jack. Troy jumped into Jack's arms as I stood back and watched father and son interact. Tears came to my eyes as I watched them.

"Aw Gabi don't cry." Troy told me as I wrapped my arms around Jack's broad shoulders.

"I'm trying not to but you know how I am. I'm glad you're ok, Jack." I told him as he rubbed my back.

"So how does the school look, dad?" Troy asked as we walked back up to the porch.

"They let the teachers go back in and get our stuff and it was weird to see the halls. There were paper scattered everywhere and there was some blood on some on the walls but other than that it looked the same." Jack told me as I looked at him.

"Were there any causalities?" I asked him as my voice shook with fear and uncertainty.

"There were 2. A girl by the name of Kelsey Patterson and a guy by the name of Michael Brenner. Did you guys know either one of them?" Jack asked me as I hand flew to my mouth.

"I knew Kelsey. She was in my senior English class. But I didn't know Michael." I told him as Troy squeezed my hand.

"I knew Michael. Dad you did too. He was on the JV basketball team." Troy told him as Jack nodded his head.

"That's right. We were going to move him up to the Varsity when districts came." Jack told us as I looked at Troy.

"What about the shooter? Did they find him/them?" I asked Jack as he shifted from his position on the porch ledge.

"They found him. His name was Brandon Ledger and he shot himself outside of the gym doors." Jack told us as Troy shook his head.

"He was cut from the basketball team. Remember him dad?" Troy asked as Jack shook his head.

"Yeah I remember him. And I remember cutting him from the team because he didn't have that much experience." Jack told us as the screen door opened.

"I thought I heard your voice out here. I'm so happy you're ok." Dana said as she wrapped her arms around Jack's shoulders.

"I'm fine Dana. I'm right here and I'm not leaving." Jack said as he started to sway back and forth.

"So what are you guys talking about?" Mom asked as she held Sarah and Tina in her arms. I got up and took Tina from her arms and went and sat back by Troy.

"We're just trying to find out the details of the school and how bad it was messed up." I said as Troy started to play with Tina.

"Did they mention how long the school is going to be closed for?" Troy asked as he rubbed my arm.

"At least until next week. They have to get the crime scene in there to clean up the place, before students return." Jack told us as I nodded my head.

"I can't wrap my head around this. I can't believe this actually happened in our high school." I said as Troy kissed my forehead.

"It's something that you guys will be known for the rest of your lives. You will be asked where you were." Jack told me as I nodded my head.

"Life will never be the same again at East high." Troy said as we all fell into our silent thoughts.

_**5:00 pm**_

Troy and I were hanging out in my bedroom with the TV turned to CNN. Troy was trying to keep me distracted so I didn't watch was going on. I started to yawn as Troy was telling me a basketball story from 8th grade.

"Are you tired Princess?" Troy asked me while interrupting his story and played with my hair.

"Yeah I am. I think I'm going to sleep for a little bit." I told him as I laid my head on my pillow.

"Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" Troy asked me as I nodded my head.

"Please. You're my prince charming, you know that right?" I asked him as he smiled.

"Yeah I know that. And I'm going to try to be your prince charming always." Troy told me as I nodded my head.

"Thank you for everything you've done today. I love you." I told him as I leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"You are most welcome, princess. I love you too. Sweet dreams." Troy told me as he tucked me into my bed.

I fell asleep quickly but I kept waking up due to the strange dreams I was having. I woke up once with tears falling down my cheeks and felt Troy's arms around my shoulders.

"Gabi, it's all right. You're fine. I'm right here." Troy whispered in my ear as I tried to stop the tears coming down my cheeks.

"You were in the building and you had gotten shot. I tried to save you but someone dragged me away from you. You died." I said as Troy started to sway back and forth trying to calm me down.

"I'm fine, Gabi. I'm right here with you. See?" Troy told me as he placed my hand on his face.

"I know but the dream was so real." I told him as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

"I'm going to go get you a glass of water. You stay here and try to calm down." Troy told me as he walked into my adjacent bathroom and filled a cup with water.

"Here drink this. I'm not going to leave you. I'll stay here tonight, if you want me to." Troy told me as I nodded my head.

"Please stay here. I'm scared." I told him as he held my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'll stay here. Let me go tell the parents and I'll be right back." Troy told me as he handed me the remote control to the TV.

I flipped it to Disney and watched 'Toy Story'. I just sat there until Troy came back.

"You want to finish watching this and then we'll go to sleep?" Troy asked me as I took his outstretched hand.

"That sounds good." I told him as I patted the space next to me on the bed.

We finished watching Toy Story and then we crawled into bed. Troy wrapped his arms around me just for me to know that he was there. We stayed like that the entire night.

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**There you guys go! As ALWAYS, feedback and review are appreciated!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

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_**March 17, 2008 7:00 am**_

It's the first day back after the shooting and to say it lightly, I'm freaked out and scared. Troy was coming over and we were walking to school together.

I walked downstairs and saw mom standing in the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"What are you so cheerful about this morning?" I asked her while looking in the open fridge. I decided on the chocolate milk and took it out. I poured myself a glass and went and sat down at the table.

"I'm just happy that you're going back to school. You've been so down since you've been out of school." Mom told me as my eyes fell on the newspaper that was sitting on the table.

The headline read "East High Goes Back to School" and there was a picture of students standing outside of the school. I quickly scanned the article and all it said was general information about how this was the first day that students would be back inside the school since the shooting took place. I felt goose bumps go up and down my arm while reading the article.

I heard the doorbell ring as mom walked towards the front door and opened the heavy wooden door. I smiled, watching Troy walk towards the kitchen.

"Morning stranger." I said before I took a sip from my cup and then watched him sit down on the bar stool.

"How are you this morning?" Troy asked me leaning over and giving me a quick good morning kiss.

"Nervous and scared. What about you?" I asked him while looking on what he had chosen to wear this particular day. He had on a pair of jeans, one of his wildcat t-shirts with his basketball jacket over the shirt.

"The same. Dad said that the workers were in the school Saturday afternoon still cleaning up the mess." Troy told me as I nodded my head.

"Did your dad say how the school looks?" I asked him as Troy looked at me.

"Nah he didn't say anything. He's just as nervous as we are." Troy told me smiling.

"Well let's get this over with. Let's go." I told Troy while grabbing his hand and leading him to the door.

Mom was waiting by the front door. I threw her a quick smile while grabbing my book bag and packed lunch.

"You two have a great day. Or as well as can be accepted." Mom told me while pulling me into a hug.

"Bye mom and we'll see you later on after school." I told her while we walked out the door.

The walk to school was pretty quiet. I laughed while Troy swung our hands back and forth. We arrived at school and things were pretty quiet. As you entered the front door, there were a pile of white roses. I grabbed two and walked down the halls. When we reached Kelsey Patterson's locker and all ready there were candles and a pile of roses there. I threw one of my two roses on the pile and turned to Troy. I felt tears trickle down my face as I looked at the memorial.

"She was our age, Troy. She didn't deserve to die." I told him while giving him a hug.

I saw Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Ryan, and Sharpay all walk up. The girls had roses in their hands and had tears in their eyes.

"So we start school and two people who some of us knew and other didn't, are dead?" Ryan asked as I nodded my head.

"That's about right. It sucks that they aren't going to be here anymore!" I said as I went over to Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay and gave them hugs.

"How are you guys holding up?" I asked the three of them while the guys got into a conversation.

"I'm still freaked out and still have nightmares about it." Taylor told me while giving her another hug.

"So you never said why you and Troy weren't here that day." Sharpay told me while I looked in Troy's direction.

"I thought I did. I was sick and I think Troy's mom just called him into school. So were sitting in my room, when I decided to turn on the TV and was flipping through channels when I came across the breaking news. That breaking news happened to be the school shooting." I told them while watching Kelsi's reaction.

We walked down the hall that led to Coach Bolton's study hall. We walked in quietly and took our seats. Coach Bolton came in and stopped in front of Chad, Troy, and me.

"The basketball game for tonight has been cancelled. All athletic events are cancelled until next week." Coach told us as I looked at Troy and Chad.

"Are these games going to be rescheduled or are we going to have to forfeit?" Chad asked Coach.

"I have no idea. That's up to the athletic department to figure out." Coach said as he looked at the clock.

"Man this is going to suck if we're going to have to forfeit all those games. We're going to have the worst record out of our division." Troy said while reaching over and grabbing my hand.

Coach started class and announcements were said. There was going to be a memorial service held for the two students who were victims of the shooting. I laid my head on my hand while Coach Bolton started his lecture. Troy flashed me a smiled while I was trying to fall into another day dream.

_**12:00 pm**_

I was on my way down to lunch when I heard my name being called from down the hallway. I turned around and saw Coach Bolton running towards me. I looked at him while he tried to control his breathing.

"What's wrong, Coach?" I asked him while watching him look down the hallway.

"Where is Troy at Gabi?" Coach Bolton asked me as I thought about Troy's schedule.

"Right now he should be in the lunch room but he said something about going to the gym and practicing." I told him as he grabbed my hand and led me down to the gym.

"What's going on, Coach Bolton?" I asked him as he looked into the small windows that were on the outside of the door.

"Get Troy and meet me in my office in the locker room. I have something I need to tell you two." Coach said while opening the door for me.

I walked in and saw Troy shooting baskets. I cautiously walked over to him and waited until he noticed me.

"Gabi you should be at lunch right now. What are you doing here?" Troy asked me while watching my every move.

"Your dad told me to come find me and then the two of us are supposed to meet him in his office in the locker room." I told him as my voice cracked.

"What for? What does he need to talk to us about?" Troy asked me while putting the basketball back on the rack.

"I don't know. He just told me to come find you." I told him as we walked out of the gym and towards the locker rooms.

Troy held open the door for me while I walked into the locker room. I grabbed his hand as we walked down towards Coach's office. Troy knocked on the door as Coach looked up.

"Troy, Gabi come on in. There is something you two should know." Coach told us as we took a seat.

"What is it dad? What's wrong?" Troy asked with fear evident in his voice.

"The whole reason the school shooting took place was because Brandon, the shooter, was jealous of the two of you. He wanted everything you, Troy, had." Coach Bolton told us as I looked at Troy.

"Does that mean that if we were in school that day, we would both be dead?" Troy asked with a shaky voice.

"That's exactly what it means. I wanted the two of you to know that because it's going to get out sooner or later and I wanted you two to be prepared." Jack told us while tears came to my face.

"I'm so glad the moms decided to keep us home and not send us to school that day." I said with a shaky voice. Troy offered me his hand which I gladly accepted.

"Who all knows that? And how did you find out?" Troy asked his dad while rubbing my back for comfort.

"The day the shooting took place the detective asked me if I knew a Troy Bolton and a Gabriella Montez. I looked at him and said that you were my son and my son's girlfriend. I asked the detective why and he gave me that reason. Apparently the police found a goodbye note in Brandon's room and he mentioned that you two were the sole purpose of the shooting." Jack told us as I looked at Troy with fear in my eyes.

"What do we do now? Are the two of us going to be safe?" Troy asked with a voice full of fear.

"You two try to live a normal life and we think the two of you to be safe. I'm going to try to demand some answers from the police. I want you two to try to concentrate on school and what you two need to do to graduate." Jack told us while standing up. He came over to where Troy and I were seating and gave us each a hug.

"You two have class together the rest of the day together, right?" Jack asked us while I looked at Troy.

"Yeah we do. Do our teachers know about this situation?" I asked him while Troy squeezed my hand.

"Yeah every teacher knows about the situation. How many classes do you guys not have together?" Jack asked Troy and I.

"There is only one class we don't have together. Chemistry for me and Gym for Troy." I told Jack as he nodded his head.

"That's good. I'll be in that class for Troy and you have Maria for a teacher, right Gabi?" Jack asked me as I nodded my head at him.

"That's good because she's ahead of the whole safety thing for the two of you. And just think that you guys only have 2 months left of school." Jack told us as I looked at Troy.

"Can we go back to class or no?" I asked Jack while looking at Troy and Jack.

"Yeah you guys can go. If you need to talk to someone, come see me or one of the counselors." Jack told me while patting Troy on the back and giving me a hug.

Troy and I walked out of the office, too shocked to talk or look at each other. We held hands while Troy led me to an empty hallway. He silently wrapped his arms around my shoulder as I broke down crying. Troy just whispered random words into my ears as I let out my emotions. I picked my head up off his shoulder and looked at him.

"Are you going to be ok?" Troy asked me while wiping my tears away from my cheek.

"I'm seriously scared to death, Troy. This puts not only my life in danger, but my mom, Tina, and Lucas' lives also." I told him while he wrapped his arms tighter around my shoulders.

"I know but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you and your family is safe. Do you trust me?" Troy asked me while looking into my chocolate colored eyes.

"I do with my life. But I want you to keep yourself safe too." I told him while pressing my mouth to his.

Troy and I stood there until the bed rang. We quickly ran to our classroom and got there right before the teacher closed the door. For the next hour, I tried to focus on what the teacher was talking about but my mind kept rewinding to the conversation that we had with Troy's dad. I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts and tried to focus on senior English.

I think Troy sensed what I was thinking about because he reached over and grabbed my hand in his. He started to rub my thumb which calmed me for a minute and then the thoughts returned. I raised my hand and asked the teacher if I could go down to the office for a minute. She smiled at me and pointed to the door. I walked out and a few minutes later Troy joined me out in the hallway.

"Hey, Gabi what's wrong?" Troy asked me while wrapping his arms around me. He immediately started rocking me back and forth and placing kisses on my forehead and cheek.

"I'm trying to concentrate on what Mrs. Grant is saying but my mind keeps going back to the conversation we had with your dad." I told him while looking into his bright blue Bolton eyes.

"I know and that's why I followed you out here. I kind of figured that was your problem. But listen to me, you're fine. You're safe." Troy told me while stroking my cheek.

"Do you know that for certain? Are you 100 positive that I'm safe?" I asked him while tears flowed down my cheek. We saw Jack walk down the hall whistling and Troy motioned him over.

"Can you go get our bags from Mrs. Grants' room while I go try and calm her down?" Troy asked motioning to the room that we just left.

"Sure where are you guys going to be?" Jack asked us while Troy looked at me.

"We are going to be in the theatre. Will you come and get us at 2:30?" Troy asked his dad as Jack nodded his head.

"Sure I'll come get you guys. I'll see you guys in about an hour." Jack said while Troy grabbed my hand and led me down to the theatre. We walked in the very last row and sat down. Troy held on my hand and turned my head towards him.

"We need to have one of our famous talks. To tell you the truth, I don't know 100 sure that you're going to be safe every second of the day but I'm going to try my damn hardest to make sure you can live a normal life." Troy told me while squeezing my hand and leaning over and giving me a kiss.

"I'm just scared something is going to happen to me or you or even my family. I don't want that to happen. I want to know that I'm safe from anything." I told him while looking at him.

"And I'm going to try to give that back to you but I'm not positive I can do that." Troy told me as he rubbed my knuckles.

"Thank you for trying to bring that sense of safety back to me. I know it's not going to be easy but I at least I know someone is trying." I told him as he rubbed my cheek and gave me one of his sweet kisses.

_**9:00 pm**_

I was sitting in my room working on some history reading that was due the next day. I heard a knock on my door and raised my head as I told whoever to come in. I saw my mom standing there at the door with a grin on her face that reminded me of Troy's.

"Hey what's up?" I asked her while she padded over to my bed and sat down beside me.

"I just got off the phone with Jack and Dana. Jack told me that you and Troy had a hard day at school." Mom told me as I nodded my head.

"Yeah we did. Did Jack tell you what he told us?" I asked her while closing my book and throwing it on my desk.

"Yeah he did. And he said that you had a hard time concentrating during the rest of the classes. Do you want to talk?" Mom asked me while my eyes trailed over to the door.

"No not right now. But maybe later." I told her as something caught my eye from the doorway. I smiled when I saw Troy standing there with a tray of cups.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as he crossed the room and placed the tray on my desk. He then handed my mom and I a cup of hot chocolate.

"I had a feeling you needed someone to talk to and your mom suggested that I come over and see you." Troy told me while sitting on the bed.

"Thank you for coming over." I told him while leaning over and gave him a kiss.

"Not a problem. I finished my homework early and my mom told me to come over here." Troy said while I looked at him.

"Alert the press! Troy Bolton actually has his homework finished early?" I asked him while tossing him a grin.

"Yes I know it a shocker for you. But I wanted to spend time with you tonight before your mom kicked me out." Troy told me while eyeing my mom.

"Well I have a shocker for the two of you. Troy you can spend the night tonight. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." Mom told me while giving Troy the evil eye.

"Mom we're not going to do that. You have my pink promise word." I told her while rolling my eyes.

"I trust you two. I'm going to check on Lucas and Tina and then I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too much later." Mom told us as she kissed both of our heads and walked out of the room.

"You have the coolest mom ever!" Troy told me once the door was shut and we were alone.

"You're just now figuring that out?" I asked him while shaking my head at him.

"No I've known that for a while I'm just saying it." Troy told me as he leaned over and gave me a kiss.

We had a mini make out session before we decided to go to bed. For the first time in a while, I slept the best I've ever slept. Troy wrapped his arms around me and kept them there the rest of the night.

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**There you guys go! Please as always, Feedback and Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated and looked upon! This goes out to all my loyal reviewers and thank you guys for all the suggestions and ideas! You guys are the greatest!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

**A/N: You guys are great with all the feedback! A huge thank you goes out to all of you who consistently give me feedback!**

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**_April 18, 2008 10:15 am_**

School had pretty much returned to normal. There were good days; then bad days; and then good days again. There were counselors always sitting around willing to talk to any student that came into the office. Troy and I had used the counselors a lot during the last month. Sometimes we would go together; other times we would go individually.

The school was starting to look forward to Prom, which was less than a week away. And guess who just happened to be chaperoning? Troy's parents and my mom. Lucky us!

Troy and I are sitting in study hall. I'm trying to get some homework done and Troy is sitting next to me talking to Chad. He's going to get in so much trouble one of these days! I shook my head as I turned back to my Anatomy homework.

"Chad, Troy stop talking. You guys talk more than any other girl I have ever known." Coach Bolton told the two guys.

"Sorry Coach. We're talking about the basketball game tomorrow at the field house." Chad said mentioning the championship game which was being held at University of New Mexico's field house.

"You can talk about that once you get into the hallways. Start studying! I don't want to bench two of my best seniors because they didn't pass a test." Coach Bolton told them as I tried to hide my smile.

Troy and I had made a decision about where we wanted to go to school. We had both decided that we were going to go to University of New Mexico which was located right in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. Our parents were happy with our decision. Taylor, Jason, and Chad would go to school with us while Kelsi, Ryan, Sharpay, and Zeke would all head up to New York. I looked over at Troy and caught his eyes.

"Did you make those reservations for tomorrow night?" I asked him while he shook his head.

"Yeah I did. The 10 of us are going to the little Italian restaurant downtown." Troy told me before the confusion set in.

"I think you might have miss counted. There are only 9 kids in our little group." I told him while he rolled his eyes.

"Ryan's bringing a date. He asked some chick to go with him." Troy told me earning him a slap on his arm.

"She's a girl; not a chick." I told him as he rolled his eyes which earned him another slap.

"Dad! Gabi's beating me up." Troy complained while Coach Bolton looked over at us.

"That's good because you probably deserved it." Coach said before I stuck my tongue out at Troy.

"Hahaha even your dad will take my side over yours." I told him flashing my grin in his direction.

Troy turned around so I wouldn't see his smile. I turned back to my Anatomy homework and tried to concentrate on that. I saw Coach Bolton shake his head at us.

"Are you ready for that test yet, Gabi?" Coach asked me as I shook my head at him.

"Nope not at all." I told him with confidence in my voice. Troy turned and looked at me, shock written all over his face.

"Gabriella Maria Montez is not ready for a test? Alert the press and the newspaper!" Troy said in an announcer's voice which caused the class to erupt in laughter.

"Shut up Troy Douglas Bolton." I told him flipping through the pages of my Anatomy book.

"Do you two need to be separated?" Coach asked us walking over to where Troy and I were sitting.

"Yes get me away from her. She's a huge distraction!" Troy told me sending a glare my way.

"He's being a pain in the butt. He's trying to distract me." I said shaking my head at Troy.

"You two better stop it. I would hate to bring the mother's into this." Coach told us while looking at the two of us.

"I'm going over here and I'm going to finish studying for this test." I said gathering all my stuff and walking to the farthest corner from Troy.

I laid on my stomach and started flipping through pages of my book, making sure I covered everything. As soon as the bell rang, I ran out of the room and into my Anatomy classroom.

Before I knew it, Coach Bolton had passed out the tests and we started our tests. About 20 minutes into the hour, I heard the door of the classroom open and someone slip in. I focused my attention back on my test and forgot all about the interruption.

"There you go, Coach Bolton." I said quietly, walking up to his desk and placing the test on the growing pile.

"Is that all the tests?" Coach Bolton asked standing up and looking around the room.

"If that's all of them, then you guys are dismissed from the classroom." Coach said as a girl raised her hand.

"Coach Bolton, who are the roses for?" Chelsea, a junior, asked Coach as he looked at the dozen of pink roses.

"Oh I forgot. Gabi these came for you while you were taking the test." Coach told me walking over to me and handing me the roses.

I quickly grabbed the card from the place holder and shoved it into my pocket. I picked up my book bag and walked silently out of the classroom. I walked down the hallway which led the theatre. I opened the heavy door and walked silently to the stage. I threw my book bag in the front row and jumped up on the stage. I sat down, hung my feet over the stage, and tore open the card.

_My dearest Gabi!_

_These roses are congratulations! We've been through so much and these roses are a dedication to you. I'm sorry if I made you mad but I just wanted you to know how much I love you. You are going to move mountains! _

_Love,_

_Troy_

I grinned as I held the card close to me. I got up and started twirling around the stage. I let my laughter get the best of me and heard someone come in the door. My eyes flew up and saw Troy walking towards me. He said nothing as he came up on stage and pulled me close to him. We stood there on stage and started to dance. Troy picked me up and spun me around, causing me to laugh. He put me down and pulled me to him so he could give me a kiss.

"Thank you for the roses. They're beautiful." I told him feeling his arms wrap around me.

"You are most welcome. How did you do on your test?" Troy asked me, linking our hands together.

"I think I did ok but I don't know. How do you know I will move mountains?" I asked him as we sat down on stage.

"I don't know for sure but I have a feeling you will. You all ready have moved mountains in my life." Troy told me.

"How have I moved mountains in your life?" I asked him placing my head on his shoulder.

"You've made things in life more clear. You've opened my eyes and made me strive for great things. I would have never tried out for the musical if it had not been for you. I wouldn't the courage to stand up to my dad if it hadn't been for you. You've made me a better man." Troy told me while watching tears drip down my face.

"You've made me a far better woman than I would have been if we had no moved here. I'm glad I've changed you but you've changed me too. Four years ago I would not have been able to get in front of people and dance on stage while singing. I would not have been so bold to stand up for what I believe in." I told him squeezing his hand.

"We've made a big difference in each other's lives. But this is only the beginning and we've got our whole lives ahead of us." Troy told me, leaning over and gently kissing my lips.

We stayed in the theatre until the bell rang. We ran to our next class just before the teacher closed the door.

_**April 19, 2008 10:00 am**_

I just arrived at the University of New Mexico field house. It's hard to believe that Troy is going to be playing in this building in the fall. He had gotten a full scholarship to come and play here. That kind of sealed the deal for the two of us.

I spotted my mom and Dana sitting next to each other chatting away. I waved and walked over to the student section. I smiled as I climbed up into the bleachers to watch Troy and the rest of the Wildcats warm up. I stand next to Taylor who was currently talking with Sharpay. I never thought I would see the day that Sharpay Evans came to a basketball game. I guess people aren't what they seem.

"Hey girls. Are you ready for tonight?" I asked Sharpay, Kelsi, and Taylor while they all laugh.

"Oh yeah. We're still meeting at your house at 4 right?" Taylor asked me while I watched Troy.

"Yeah 4 o'clock seems great." I told them as their laughter pulled me out of my gaze.

"She just got memorized by her hottie, Mr. Troy Bolton." Kelsi told the girls as Troy sent a grin up to me from the floor. He motioned for me to come down and talk to him.

"I'll be back girls." I told them while I walked down to where Troy was waiting for me.

"Hey you. I'm glad you came." Troy told me grabbing my hand and linking our fingers together.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But promise me, if you guys loose that you won't be a sour puss tonight." I told him giving him the evil eye.

"I won't princess. I promise. I wouldn't ruin our night." Troy told me while kissing my cheek.

"Thank you. Now go kick some Knight butt for me, of course." I told him which sent him into laughter.

"Of course I will do it for you." Troy told me, showing his pearly whites and his boyish grin.

"You go make me proud and I will see you in the middle of the court after the game, all right?" I asked him as he nodded his head.

"Oh yeah I'll be there waiting for you." Troy told me as he watched me walk back up to our friends.

"So what did the gorgeous Troy Bolton want?" Sharpay asked me as I gave her a look.

"He just wanted to talk to me." I told them while watching each of them roll their eyes.

"Fine be that way and don't tell us what lover boy wanted." Taylor told us as we shared a laugh.

"So Sharpay who is Ryan taking to Prom tonight?" I asked her as her eyes went wide.

"I meant to ask him but I keep forgetting. I have no idea who he is taking." Sharpay told me while the players ran into what I assumed was the locker room.

"I'm actually surprised you are here, Sharpay. I didn't know you liked basketball." I said which she threw me a look for.

"Do you think I'm here to watch basketball? I'm here to watch a hot guy play basketball. And don't worry, Gabi I'm talking about Zeke." Sharpay told me and I threw her a grin for.

We settled in and started to watch the game. By half time, the Wildcats were ahead 34-42. But we all knew that the Knights wouldn't go down without a fight. The second half started and all we heard was Coach Bolton yelling at the guys to tighten up defense. I threw the girls a grin as I watched Troy and Chad throw the ball back and forth between each other.

**_12:00 pm _**

"I'll see you guys in about 4 hours at my house." I told the girls, while turning and heading down to the court.

"Go see lover boy and we'll be over later." Taylor called after me while they walked towards the exit.

I grinned as I watched Troy and his dad share a hug. Hannah and Dana, each holding a twin, were the next ones to get hugs. I watched Hannah put Sarah to her feet as she started to run in my direction. Before she got too far, I scooped her up and tickled her stomach which sent her into a fit of laughter. I laughed with Sarah as I walked over to the Bolton/Montez clan.

"I think you guys are about to loose someone." I told the gang while handing Sarah to Jack.

"Thanks Gabi. There are so many kids to keep up with." Dana told me as I grabbed Lucas from my mom's arms.

"I know what you're talking about." I said as I felt someone watching my every move.

"Hold that thought for a moment. I think someone is feeling a little jealous." I told her while she took Lucas from my arms.

"So do we have a reason to celebrate tonight?" I asked Troy while he picked me up and spun me around.

"I think we have many reasons to celebrate tonight. One being we kicked West High's butt for the 3 year in a row." Troy told me spinning me around.

"I think that's a great reason to celebrate." I told him while jumping on his back.

He walked over to our clan of family members. Troy grabbed Sarah as I grabbed Tina from my mom's arms. I bounced her up and down as she laughed.

"Ella down." Tina told me while Troy grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth.

"Sorry Tina you're not getting down." I told her as I walked over to mom.

"Ella down." Tina tried again before I shook my head at her.

"Sorry chica. You're not getting down." I told her as she started to kick her feet.

"Mom you take her and I'll take Lucas." I told her while we traded kids.

"So what are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?" Troy asked me while I looked at the scoreboard. 75-89.

"I have no idea. Why you got plans?" I asked him spinning Lucas around and making him smile and clap his hands.

"Nah I'm thinking of going home and taking a nap. What time are the girls coming over? And what time do us guys have to be there?" Troy asked me as our families walked out to the parking lot.

"The girls are coming over at 4 and you guys have to be at my house between 5:30 and 6 because our reservations are at 6:30." I told him while I strapped Lucas into his car seat.

"That sounds good. I'll call you later, after my nap." Troy told me as he quickly kissed me then ran off to his parent's car. I was still laughing when I got into the car.

"What has that boy done to you now?" Mom asked me while I shook my head.

"He's just being himself. Let's go momma. I've got to take a shower before the girls come over." I told her waving my hand for her to go.

_**5:30 pm**_

"It doesn't sound like 4 giggling girls are going to be ready in time." Mom said while coming into my messy room.

Between Sharpay, Kelsi, Taylor, and I, the room had been thrown apart. We were all lying on my bed giggling about who knows what.

"Ella pretty." I heard Lucas and Tina say as I sat up from my place on the bed.

"Thank you guys. Are you going to stay here and have fun with mom while I go dancing?" I asked them while they both crooked their necks.

"Yeah! Watch blue?" Lucas asked me before I started to giggle.

"Sorry baby I'm not going to watch Blue with you. How about tomorrow?" I asked him as he showed me his pout.

"But I want you to watch blue with me." Lucas told me as I stole a look at the girls.

"I'll be back girls. Don't leave me out of anything." I told them as I picked up Tina and then Lucas.

I walked into their room with them. I had my blue and black dress on. I sat down in the rocking chair with both of them.

"I'm sorry I'm not going to be here tonight to hang out with you guys. But mom's going to be here." I told them while I looked at Lucas and Tina.

"But I want you to watch Blue with us." Tina told me as I struggled not to break down.

"I know you do but tonight's pretty special for me too. It's my last dance as a high schooler." I told them while they looked at me with wide eyes.

"What's a high schooker?" Lucas asked me while I cracked a smile at his mistake.

"You know that school I go to? It's a high school which makes me a high schooler." I told him as he nodded his head up and down.

"Oh but I don't want you to be sad, Ella." Lucas told me, placing his hand on my cheek and giving me a sloppy kiss.

"I won't be sad. I promise. But I will hang out with you guys tomorrow ok? We'll go to the park and I'll get you guys some ice cream, all right?" I asked them while Lucas and Tina nodded their heads.

"All right but we're still watching blue if you want to." Tina told me while she toddled out of the room.

"What's wrong Lucas?" I asked him while rocking him and I back and forth.

"I'm going to miss you." Lucas told me, picking up my hand and rubbing his tummy with it.

"I will be home early tomorrow morning, I promise. Do you want me to come say good night to you when I come in?" I asked him.

"Will you?" Lucas asked me as I picked him up and placed him on my knees.

"I will. As soon as Troy drops me off, I will come up here and give you a kiss good night." I told him, watching his head nodded up and down.

"That good." Lucas told me which caused me to smile.

I continued to rock him back and forth as his breathing became evenly. I kissed his forehead and stood up. I gently placed him in his crib and closed the door gently.

"Was that a little sister/brother bonding?" Kelsi asked me while I closed the door.

"Yeah he's growing up so fast and he needs all the attention from me as possible." I told them as they shook their heads.

"What's wrong with him?" Taylor asked me as I sat on my bed and sighed.

"He's worried that I'm going to leave him all alone and not come back. He's getting so attached and that's part of the reason Troy and I decided to stay so close to home and living here at home." I told them while they nodded.

"Girls the guys are here." Mom yelled up the stairs and we all looked at each other.

"So how are we doing this?" I asked them as we all looked at each other.

"Let's just walk downstairs so we can see their faces all at once." Taylor said while a grin crept onto my face.

I quickly slipped on my shoes and walked out the door. We walked downstairs and heard the four guys talking amongst themselves. We walked down and we could hear a pin drop because it was so quiet.

"You can stop staring and tell us how we look." Sharpay said as we all fell into a fit of laughter.

"You look wonderful." Troy told me as he slipped my corsage on to my left hand. I grinned at him as I saw a flash.

"Hey guys we can go out to the backyard and take pictures." I told them walking through the kitchen and out to the backyard.

"Hey Gabi where is Lucas?" Mom asked me while I looked at her.

"He kind of fell asleep while I was rocking him. He's mad that I'm not going to be here tonight." I told her as she smiled at me.

"He'll be ok. Don't worry. Now go stand with your friends and I'll take pictures." Mom told me, smacking my butt as I walked over to my group of friends.

We stood there and took tons of pictures. Then the couples split up and each took our own pictures. The Boltons and my mom made Troy and I stand there in so many poses and they took tons of pictures.

"Ok parents we have to leave now so we're not late." Chad yelled as we all laughed.'

We walked out front and what was sitting there shocked us all. A pearly white limo was sitting there.

"Surprise!" We heard the parents yell as the eight of us turned and looked at them.

"What's this?" Troy asked his parents the eight of us turned and listened.

"We wanted to send you guys off in a good way. So we parents got together and we chipped in some money to get you guys a limo." Jack told us as the eight of us threw up a cheer.

We all said good bye to our parents and then got into the limo. We drove to the restaurant which is where we were meeting Ryan and his date.

_**1:00 am**_

This entire night has been nothing but a dream. We had so much fun, from dinner to the whole prom experience.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Troy asked me as the limo dropped us at the house. We were the last couple to be dropped off.

"I did and I'm sad to see it all ready over." I told him while we walked up to the front porch.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"You might have told me once or twice but I haven't heard it in a while." I told him as we sat on our swing.

"Well you my love, look absolutely beautiful!" Troy told me while leaning in and giving me a kiss.

"I was surprised that we were named Prom King and Queen." I told him as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"I wasn't. Between the two of us, we rule the school." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Yeah we do. I love you." I told him as we linked fingers and rocked back and forth.

"Hm . . . I love you too. I don't want this to end." Troy told me as I sighed in contentment.

"Don't you dare fall asleep, Gabi." Troy told me as I started to giggle.

"I won't I promise. I've got to go in and say goodnight to Lucas." I told him while getting up from the swing.

"Wait my love. We need to have one more dance before we officially call this night to a close." Troy told me while placing his arms around my waist and as we started to dance.

We stayed outside of the house until 6:15 in the morning. We sat in my backyard on the patio and watched the sun rise. We continued to dance and just remembered the good times we have had together. I ran upstairs and kissed Lucas good night and then jumped into bed and sighed in excitement! I fell asleep with a huge grin on my face and with dreams of mine and Troy's future!

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**There you guys go! That was the longest chapter I've ever written! Feedback and reviews are most welcomed!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

**A/N: A huge thank you goes out to trumpetrulez101 for the idea of this chapter! Go read her stories! Especially Temperature! They're amazing!**

**For later in this chapter, you might have to go back and look at chapter 12. I'm using a little of information from that chapter in this chapter!**

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**_April 21st, 2008 8:00 am_**

I sat down in Anatomy class, distracted in my own thoughts. I was thinking back to Prom and how much fun we had.

_After the guys had come and picked us up, we drove to the Italian place they had picked out for us to eat. We had dinner which wasn't anything special. After dinner we went to a little park downtown and took more pictures there. I gave Troy my digital and went to stand with the other girls. We did silly and stupid pictures. It was so much fun._

_We then went to the hall that Prom was being held. The colors were Red, Silver, and Black and the theme was "A Red Carpet Affair". They had stars and glitter everywhere. It was so pretty. A slow song came on as we walked in the door. I quickly kicked off my shoes and dragged Troy to the dance floor._

"_Are you having fun?" Troy asked me, swaying us side to side with the music._

"_Yeah I am but give it a little time and I'll let you know for sure." I told him laying my head on his shoulder. _

_We swayed side to side with "At Last" by Etta James. The song was one of my favorites. _

"Miss Montez you can come back to us now." Coach Bolton told me as I looked at him.

"Sorry what was the question?" I asked him, giving him a look not to question.

"The question was what the most interesting part of anatomy class is?" Coach asked me while I grinned at him.

"I would have to say the movies that you show us." I told him, causing a couple of my classmates to laugh.

"Please pay attention, Miss Montez." Coach said while I nodded my head.

I listened for a minute before slipping back into my day dream. I grinned as I laid my head down and started to remember the past weekend.

_After Prom had finished, Chad suggested that we all go bowling. The girls looked at him like he was crazy._

"_Do you really want to see us bowl in our dresses?" I asked him grinning._

"_Come on you guys, it would be fun. Come on you know you want to go." Chad told us giving us the pouty face._

"_I'm game." I said before the girls all agree to go along with it. _

_We jumped in the limo and directed the driver to the nearest bowling alley. We drove there and then got out. The alley wasn't that busy so we quickly got two lanes and divided it up between girls and guys. We played until 12:30 when we got done and piled back into the limo. The limo driver started to drop us off at our houses. _

_Troy walked me up to the house and took my hand in his. He started to hum a tune and we started to dance right there on my front porch. We danced until Troy ran out of tunes._

"_So what are we going to do now?" I asked him quietly as we walked to my backyard._

"_We're going to lie in the backyard and talk about whatever comes to mind." Troy told me grinning._

"_We've had all the talks we can have. We've talked about where we want to go to school, that we want to get married to each other, and how many kids we want. What else is there to talk about?" I asked him. _

"_There are plenty of things to talk about. Like what do you want to do in college? Where do you see us living when we get married? And several of other things." Troy told me as we laid on the moist grass._

"_Hm . . . I want to study something in the medical field like nursing or physical therapy. I see us living probably here in Albuquerque." I told him as we linked fingers. _

"_All right I'll take those answers." Troy told me sighing in contentment._

"Gabriella Maria Montez, you've got detention with me this afternoon." I heard Coach Bolton say pulling me out of my day dream.

I just sat there and laughed, thinking about what Troy and Chad would say because of my detention.

"Class dismissed. Gabi I would like to talk to you before you leave." Coach told me causing a few kids to laugh.

I gathered my stuff and walked up to Coach's desk. I raised my head and looked at Coach.

"What's up, Gabi?" Coach asked me grinning and shaking his head.

"Sorry about that Coach. I was day dreaming about this weekend. I was bored today in Anatomy." I told him.

"Well next time, pay attention in my class. I don't like giving my son's girlfriend detention." Coach Bolton told me looking out the door.

"I will but I'm getting senioritis. I'm sorry but I'm coming down with all the symptoms." I told him trying to keep a straight face.

"What are the symptoms?" Jack asked me quite amused with my story.

"Day dreaming, being bored, sensitivity to long days at school, and not doing homework." I told him trying to keep the grin away from my face.

"Oh those are serious symptoms. I think you should go see a doctor." Coach Bolton told me nodding his head.

"Yeah I think I should but I've got to go to class before Troy sends out a search party." I told Coach as he nodded his head.

"I think that's a good idea. Remember detention after school tonight, Gabi." Coach told me nodding my head. He handed me an excusal note saying that I was excused for the 10 minutes I had missed.

I walked down the hallway and into my next class. It was Senior English with Troy. I walked silently into the class. I handed my teacher the note and then took my seat next to Troy. He looked at me before turning back to the teacher.

'_Where were you?' _The note asked from Troy.

'Meeting your dad. He wanted me to stay after.' I wrote back.

'_What did dad want?'_ Troy wrote back.

'I have to stay after school tonight.' I wrote back and grinned when Troy read it.

'_What did you do? And do you have detention with dad?' _troy asked as I grinned at him.

'I kind of have detention.' I wrote back to him in the note.

'_You either have detention or you don't. Which one is it?' _Troy wrote back.

'I have detention for day dreaming in your dad's class. So he gave me detention.' I wrote back, ignoring the shock looked on Troy's face.

'_You, miss I never get detention, got a detention?' _Troy wrote back with a grin on his face.

'Yes I got a detention. Please don't do anything.' I wrote back. Troy held my hand and gave it a squeezed.

'_I won't but can I see you at our secret spot during lunch?' _Troy wrote back.

'That sounds good. I'll see you then.' I wrote back and then turned my attention to our teacher.

_**12:00 pm**_

I ran up the stairs and opened the heavy door that opened up to our secret spot. I saw Zac sitting there tapping his foot to a beat unknown to me.

"Hey what are you doing?" I asked him sitting beside him on the bench and took his hand in mine.

"I'm just thinking. I have a question for you." Troy told me, turning towards me and pushing my hair off my cheek.

"What would that question be?" I asked him squeezing his hand.

"Would you go on a date with me tomorrow night?" Troy asked me, tears rushing to my eyes.

"Yes I would love to go on a date with you. What should I wear?" I asked him, as he wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

"I'm going to say one of your fancy dresses." Troy told me.

"Fancy dresses? I think I can do that." I told him as we sat in silence.

"What time are you going to come pick me up?" I asked him breaking the silence that stood in front of us.

"Um . . . I'm coming at 6 o'clock." Troy told me as we heard the bell rang. I leaned over and grabbed my bag before running down the stairs and to my last block class.

_**2:30 pm**_

I walked into Coach Bolton's classroom with Troy in tow. I saw the fetal pigs sitting out on the table. I gave them a look and then looked at Troy.

"Ok Coach I'm here for detention." I told him as I walked back into the lab.

"Good you have to stand here and name 10 parts of this fetal pig correctly before I let you leave." Coach told me as I looked at him.

"Ok I think I can do that." I told him looking at the fetal pig with disgust.

"Ok Gabi I need you to name the Thyroid, Masseter, sublingual gland, the spleen, Nasal Pharynx, pericardial sac of the heart, liver, pancreas, vena cava, and femoral artery. Find and name all of those correctly and you can go." Coach told me as I looked at him.

It took me about an hour to locate everything and point them out to him. I named them all correctly.

"Good for you Gabi. You seem to be paying attention in class even though those day dreams are going to get the best of you." Coach told me as I looked at the pig.

"Now can I leave?" I asked him glancing at the clock and noting the time.

"Yes you may leave but no more day dreaming in my class." Coach told me as Troy and I left the room.

Troy and I walked out of the building and headed for his car. Just before we got in, I heard a familiar voice yell from the other side of the parking lot.

"Yo Troy! I thought you would have left all ready." Chad said dragging Taylor across the parking lot.

"Gabi had some things that she had to take care of before we both left." Troy said watching Chad's eyes light up.

"What did you, Miss Montez have to take care of?" Chad asked me grinning.

"None of your business." I told him giving him a look of 'don't ask'.

"I'm guessing Gabi got in trouble with one of her teachers." Chad told me.

"Gabi doesn't get in trouble with her teachers, you idiot." Taylor told her boyfriend laughing.

"I'm guessing I'm right. She got in trouble. Which teacher served the sentence?" Chad asked me.

"Coach Bolton." I mumbled softly.

"What was that again? Who served the sentence? What was the punishment?" Chad asked me getting way too excited about me getting in trouble.

"Coach Bolton and I got a detention. Happy now?" I yell watching Taylor and Chad's reaction.

"Miss 'I never get in trouble' got a detention with your boyfriend's dad of all people?" Chad asked me shaking his head.

"Chad shut it! Or I will tell Taylor your little secret!" I told him grinning evilly.

"My mouth is officially closed on the subject!" Chad told us as Taylor shook her head.

"Wow I'm shocked. Chad has never gotten off a subject that fast before!" Taylor said looking at me with curiosity.

"He's got good reason to get off my case so fast. I've got dirt on him." I told them proudly.

"What kind of dirt do you have on him? You've only lived here for like 3 years." Taylor told me.

"Let's just say his mom and my mom have become friends and she brought over pictures of Chad as a baby." I told them grinning.

"Gabriella Maria Montez if you open your mouth any wider I'm going to kill you." Chad told me grabbing me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Aren't you going to do anything? Your best friend just threatens to kill me and all you can do is sit there and look at me." I asked Troy as he looked at me.

"I'm not getting in between the two of you. I value my life." Troy told me showing off his boyish smirk.

"Fine I see how you are. I'm walking home." I told him untangling myself from Chad's grip.

"Ok I'll see you tomorrow night for our date." Troy told me as I started to walk.

I knew before I got to the corner of the sidewalk, Troy would catch up to me and beg me to forgive him. I grinned as I started to hum a familiar tune to myself. I hummed 'You're Beautiful' by James Blunt as I heard someone start to sing to me.

I turned and saw Troy standing there singing the song I was just humming. I grinned as Troy took my hand in his and started to dance with me. I saw some people give us strange looks but I just ignored them and let myself fall into Troy's embrace.

"Do you forgive me, baby girl?" Troy asked me while I looked into his sky blue eyes.

"I do forgive you. But I'm hurt that you didn't save me from Chad." I told him showing off my pout.

"I'm sorry for that too. From now on, I will rescue you from everything that's dangerous to you. I love you and I'm going to be your knight in shiny armor." Troy told me as I tried to keep from giggling.

"Now my knight in shiny armor, what are we going to do now?" I asked him swing our hands back and forth.

"Well I think I'm going to take you home and sit in our serious conversation swing and just talk." Troy told me opening the door to his car for me.

"I think that sounds like a good idea. Let's roll." I told him as he got into his side of the car.

The ride home was a quiet one with just the radio playing in the background. Troy held on to my hand while he drove. I just looked out the window at the passing scenery. I sighed as we pulled up to well known house.

"Come on, I'll walk you up to the door, my princess." Troy told me opening the door and offering his hand.

We held hands as we walked up to the porch. My mom was sitting in the swing with Lucas and Tina. She was singing to them.

"Speaking of older siblings, there is Gabi now. Where have you been?" Mom asked me as Troy and I sat on the ledge of the porch.

"Sorry mom. I had to stay after for a detention." I told her watching her face wrinkle up in surprise.

"Who gave you detention?" Mom asked me shaking her head at me.

"His father. I was day dreaming in his class and wasn't paying attention." I told mom as she shook her head. Lucas walked over to me and offered me his hands to pick him up.

"For once, I agree with your dad, Troy. She did deserve it for not paying attention." Mom told me as I looked at her.

"I've got senioritis. I don't want to be in school anymore. I want to be out in the real world." I told her as she shook her head at me.

"That doesn't make a difference. You are in that school to learn. Now stop acting up and be the Gabi I love." Mom told me kissing my forehead.

"I will momma. Now what's for dinner?" I asked her while rubbing my tummy.

"I'm thinking of getting Chinese take out from down the street. How does that sound?" Mom asked me. Troy started to shake his head as I laughed.

"That sounds awfully good for dinner." Troy spoke up as he tickled Lucas.

"I think she was talking to me, Troy." I told him shaking my head at him.

"Well still it sounds pretty good." Troy told me leaning over and kissing my cheek.

"Troy you know you're more than welcome to stay for dinner." Mom told him smiling.

"Thanks Anna and I might take you up on that offer." Troy told her as I shook my head.

"I'm glad you two get along so well. Oh mom, I've got a date tomorrow night so I won't be home for dinner." I told her watching her eyes fly up at me.

"Who's the date with Gabi?" Mom asked me shaking her head at me.

"Who do you think? Who's the guy I've been dating since junior year?" I asked her.

"Oh Troy I'm glad you two are going out on a date." Mom told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Ok I'm going inside and going to put my stuff away. Mom you know what I want from the Chinese place." I told her opening the screen door and walking in.

**_April 22, 2008 6:00 pm_**

Troy just came and picked me up. I'm wearing my black and white dress. I've got a pair of ballet flats on and some light make up. To say it lightly, I look pretty darn good.

"So where are we going?" I ask breaking the silence in the car as Troy drove us to our mystery date.

"You've been her before but I don't think you'll remember." Troy told me pulling up to a familiar looking building.

"This is where you took me for our one year anniversary, didn't you?" I asked him as he pushed open the door.

"Good you remembered. I was hoping you would." Troy told me as he led me into the huge hallway.

We walked to the right where there was a table for two with candles set. Troy pulled out my chair for me as I sat down. I smiled at him as he sat in his own chair.

We made small talk as we ate dinner. I grinned at him as we finished eating.

"Now what?" I asked him looking at him with curiosity. He just grinned at me.

"Come with me and you'll see." Troy told me as I grabbed his hand. He led me upstairs and down the hall. We walked into a familiar room.

"Troy you can't. Not tonight." I told him, looking at the familiar bench sitting in the room.

"Sit here and listen to me." Troy told me, never letting go of my hand. I sat there and looked at him.

"We both know that we want to marry each other. But it is your wishes to remain unengaged until we're in college. But I have a question for you tonight." Troy said looking into my eyes.

"What is that question?" I asked with a slight smile on my face.

"Can I get your permission to ask you to marry me in college?" Troy asked me as I sighed.

"Of course you can ask me to marry you when we get to college. I don't want to know any of the ideas because I want you to surprise me." I told him.

"You want me to surprise you the night that I ask you? I think I can do that." Troy told me with a grin.

"Yeah I want you to surprise me. I know you're going to ask me but I don't want to know when you're going to ask." I told him squeezing his hand.

"Just think we're going to be college freshman in about 4 months." Troy told me kissing my cheek.

"And that makes you way too happy." I told him wrapping my arms around him.

"Yes that does because then we really start our lives." Troy told me as he stroked my cheek.

I leaned over and kissed Troy which he deepened. I lost all track of time and where I was. I pulled back and looked at him.

"I could be mad as hell at you and then you kiss me like that and I forget why I was mad at you. Why is it when you're around, I forget everything?" I asked him.

"You're in love babe. Being in love is the greatest thing in the world and when you're in love, you forget everything that is going on in the world." Troy told me as he kissed my lips again.

"I love you. I may not say it enough but I really truly do love you." I told him sighing.

"I love you too baby girl." Troy told me as I sighed in contentment.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Troy asked me while I looked at him.

"I think you can ask me anything right now and I wouldn't mind." I told him leaning against him. He was gently playing with my curled hair.

"Are you saving yourself for marriage?" Troy asked me as I titled my head and looked at him.

"Yes why?" I asked him as he smiled gently.

"Just wondering. And you just made me the happiest man ever." Troy told me leaning over and kissing my lips.

"I've had countless of friends become pregnant in high school and I didn't want to be like them. For my 13th birthday, my mom got me a promise ring that I wear on my left hand. Mom told me that when a guy asks me to marry him that is the only time I can take that ring off and replace it with my engagement ring." I told him.

"I will take that ring off soon but you won't know when I'm going to do that." Troy told me showing off his boyish grin.

"I love you Troy Bolton." I told him as I leaned up and started to play with his hair.

"I love you too Gabriella Montez." Troy told me kissing me softly.

"I've got another question for you." Troy asked me as my eyes told him to go ahead.

"I don't know if we've talked about this but how many kids do you want when we get married?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"I've always seen myself with a houseful of kids. I'm thinking either 4 or 5 kids but I don't know. What about you?" I asked him.

"I've always seen myself with a houseful of kids running here and there trying to get them to places on time." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"We're going to be great parents when the time comes." I told him smiling.

"We're going to be the greatest parents ever!" Troy told me as he squeezed my hand.

We sat there and talked about our future together. Troy then took me home and once again, we slowed danced on my front porch. Troy then kissed me and sent me inside to go to bed. I wrote the entire night down in my journal before turning off the light and going to bed.

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**As always, feedback and reviews are always welcome! I'm kind of short on ideas, so if you have ideas for this story,I would love to hear them and will probably use them, giving you credit! Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! You guys are the reason I continue to write!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters not in the movie!**

**A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback! There are not many chapters left. I'm thinking of getting to 30 chapters and then doing a sequel! **

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_**May 9, 2008 12:00 pm**_

"Can you believe we only have 13 more days until graduation?" Chad asked us as we sat around our usual table.

"Don't remind me. I've got so much that I have to do before that day." I whined to him Taylor agreeing with me 100.

"Like what? No teacher in their right mind will be giving us seniors exams." Chad told me shooting me a look.

"Um . . . Coach Bolton's giving an Anatomy final that is going to be the death of me." I told him shooting him a glare and turning back to my Anatomy notes.

"That sucks for you. None of my teachers aren't giving me exams. I must be a special student." Chad told us proudly for which Troy, Taylor, and I all rolled our eyes.

"Chad you must be special ed! No teacher in their right mind would consider you special!" I told him as he threw me a deadly glare.

"That was totally uncalled for Gabriella. Are you going to do something, Troy?" Chad asked looking at his best friend.

"I'm not getting in between the two of you guys." Troy told us as I shook my head.

"You want to go for it now or later?" Chad asked me shaking my head.

"Hm . . . How about later because I don't feel like breaking a nail right at the moment?" I told him.

"Since when have you worried about breaking nails?" Chad asked me giving me a look.

"Since now so just sit down and shut up. I don't want to deal with you right now." I told him flipping through my Anatomy notes.

"Well I just don't want to deal with you either." Chad told me twirling the basketball on his finger.

Kelsi, Jason, Sharpay, and Ryan all walked up to the table and looked at how Chad and I were acting.

"What's up with the two of them?" Sharpay asked as I stuck my tongue out at Chad.

"They're fighting right now. But really they are acting more like 2 year olds." Troy told Sharpay as I turned and looked at him.

"Me act like a 2 year old? You have that confused with Chad." I told him turning back to my notes.

"Nah your boyfriend pinned the tail on the donkey when he was talking about acting like a 2 year old." Chad said as I looked at Kelsi, Troy, Taylor, Jason, Sharpay, Ryan, and Taylor all trying not to laugh.

"I'm out of here. I've got a test I've got to study for." I told them picking up all of my stuff and walking out of the cafeteria.

I walked down to the gym and peered in the windows on the door. I saw the lights on but no one was in there. I cautiously opened the door and walked in. I threw all my stuff against the wall and picked up a basketball. I walked over to the three point line and threw the ball up. It went into the basket perfectly and I grinned as I ran to get the ball.

I continued to play until I heard the doors open. I didn't look up but continued to make baskets.

"You know for a girl who claims to never play basketball, you're pretty good." Chad's voice interrupted me as I took a shoot. The ball didn't go in.

"Thanks for ruining the peace and quiet." I told him chasing after the basketball.

"Not a problem. Look Gabi, I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings." Chad told me taking the ball out of my hands.

"Nah you didn't hurt my feelings. I just hate arguing with good friends." I told him.

"Well I hate fighting with best friends. You've done a lot for me and everyone else in our group of friends. I would hate to lose you because of a stupid fight." Chad told me wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Now are we friends again?" I asked him grinning.

"Sure we can be friends again. Look here come Troy and Taylor." Chad told me as we both watched the two come over to us.

"Are you two cool again?" Troy asked me as I nodded my head.

"Yeah we kissed and made up." I told him laughing at the look on Chad's face.

"Man she's lying. I didn't kiss her! I swear." Chad told Troy looking at me.

"He came on to me. I swear." I told Troy looking at Chad the entire time.

"Gabi stop. These last few days of school you've been going nuts. Are you sure everything is ok?" Troy asked me grinning.

"Everything is great. I'm going to class if anyone wants to join me." I said skipping out of the gym.

_**3:30 pm**_

I giggled while Troy swung our hands back and forth. School had just gotten out and we were walking home. I was keeping to myself and not saying much. I knew Troy was worried about me and he would eventually question me about it.

I looked up and saw that we were stopped in front of my house. Troy tugged on my hand and led me up to the swing. We both sat down before Troy started to talk.

"Gabi, I want you to be honest with me. Is something going on?" Troy asked me.

"I'm just stressed about my exams, your father's in particular. His is going to be the toughest ever." I told him while playing with his hand.

"Is there anything I can do to relieve the stress?" Troy asked me looking at my ring on my left hand. That particular ring, Troy had gotten me for our first anniversary.

"I don't think so. Just be there when I need someone to talk to." I told him looking at him.

"What are you doing tomorrow? It's Saturday and I hope you don't have plans." Troy asked me looking at the joggers on the sidewalk.

"I don't think anything. Why?" I asked him squeezing his hand and looking at him.

"Meet me at my house at 10 am. It's a surprise." Troy told me giving me a kiss on my cheek.

"Ok what do I need to wear?" I asked him as he got up from the swing.

"Wear jeans and a t-shirt, if you have one." Troy told me showing off his boyish grin.

"I've got plenty of t-shirts. I think I can find one that I can wear tomorrow." I told him getting up and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Great. I will see you tomorrow at 10 am. Bye babe." Troy told me kissing my cheek and running off.

"Something has gotten into that boy and I have yet to figure it out." I told myself walking into the house to see my mom with her hands full with Tina and Lucas.

"Gabi will you take Lucas upstairs and put him to bed? He's getting cranky." Mom told me as I took Lucas from her.

I walked upstairs and placed Lucas in his crib. I covered him up and walked out of the room. I went into my room and sat on the unmade bed. I smiled thinking about what Troy could have up his sleeve for tomorrow.

_**May 10, 2008 9:50 am**_

"All right mom, I'm leaving." I yelled walking towards the door. Mom walked behind me looking at me.

"Where are you going at 10 o'clock in the morning?" Mom asked me looking at me.

"Troy told me to meet him at his house at 10 this morning. I have no idea where I'm going. I have my cell phone." I told her leaning over and giving her a kiss.

"Be careful my girl and have fun." Mom told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Mom I'm with Troy. I'll be perfectly safe." I told her yanking open the door and walking out.

I walked over to Troy's house with my mind full of different things. My brain was filled with various things, from Anatomy to Graduation to college. I was excited to see what Troy had up his sleeve.

I walked up Troy's driveway and went to ring the doorbell. Hannah's grinning face greeted me as I walked inside.

"Hey Hannah! Where is your brother?" I asked her as she opened the door for me.

"Troy's upstairs and Nathan is in the kitchen with mom." Hannah told me laughing.

"That's right you do have two brothers now. How could I have forgotten?" I asked her smiling.

"I have no idea. Mom's in the kitchen if you want to go see her. I'll go get Troy." Hannah told me as I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Dana how's it going?" I asked her as she spun around and looked at me.

"Gabi you're here awfully early. It's going pretty good." Dana told me.

"Blame that one on Troy. He told me to get here at 10 am. He's got some surprise up his sleeve." I told her giving her a look.

"Sorry Gabi I don't know what's up his sleeve. So how's your mom doing?" Dana asked me as I heard movement from upstairs.

"She's doing well. She's been busy with Lucas and Tina but other than that work is keeping her pretty busy." I told her as I saw Troy standing in the door way with a lazy grin on his face.

"Morning my darling. And how are you today?" Troy asked me as he came over and dropped a kiss on my lips.

"Quite well. And how are you my knight in shining armor?" I asked him grabbing his hand.

"Quite well. Are you ready for our adventure?" Troy asked me helping me to my feet.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Where are we going?" I asked him excitement evident.

"You will have to be patient. Mom if you need me call my cell. I'm not going to tell you where we are going. Ask dad, he'll tell you." Troy told his mother as the two of us walked to the door.

"Be careful you two and have fun." Dana yelled to us as we pulled open the heavy door.

"Bye mom. We'll be back later." Troy yelled shutting the door and grabbing my hand.

We walked in silence for a couple of minutes before I broke it. I grinned as Troy swung our hands back and forth.

"So where are we going on a fine Saturday morning?" I asked him.

"Good try but you're not going to find out until we get there. You're going to have to be patient." Troy told me squeezing my hand.

"So can I ask yes or no question and you have to answer them?" I asked him.

"Go for it but I have the option of not answering them." Troy told me setting his standards.

"That's fair. Ok first question does it have to do with school?" I asked him watching his facial expression.

"Yes it has to do with school. Next question." Troy told me as I noticed we were heading towards the school.

"Is this for my benefit?" I asked him as we stopped in front of the school's main entrance.

"It is totally for your benefit only." Troy told me grinning.

"Now where do we go?" I asked him as he opened the door for me to walk in.

"Follow me and you will see." Troy told me knocking on a classroom door and then opening it.

I walked in and saw Taylor standing there grinning. I walked over to where she was and looked at her.

"In order to move on to the next stop, you must answer this one question correctly." Taylor told me as I nodded my head.

"What are the tow lower chambers of the heart called?" Taylor asked me as I looked at her.

"The two lower chambers of the heart are called ventricles." I told her.

"Correct you may move on." Taylor told me while Troy led me to the next classroom which Chad was standing.

"Your next question is name the origin, insertion, and action of the pectoralis major." Chad told me grinning.

"The origin is ribs and clavicle; the insertion is humerus; and the action is adducts and flexes arm." I told him grinning.

"Correct you may advance." Chad told me as we walked into another classroom where Zeke was standing.

"Your next question is what does the sclera of the eye do?" Zeke asked me as I tapped my foot and thought to myself.

"The sclera gives the eyeball its shape." I told him watching his face for any sign.

"Correct. You may advance now." Zeke told me as I turned to Troy.

"Thank you so much for this. I love you." I told him before we went into another room.

Ryan was standing there looking at Troy and I grinning. I threw my head back and groaned.

"Gabi your next question is name the valve that separates the right atrium from the right ventricle." Ryan told me.

"The tricuspid valve separates the right atrium from the right ventricle." I told him proud of myself.

"Correct. You may enter the next room." Ryan told me as we walked into another classroom.

This time Sharpay was standing there grinning at me. I looked at the table and saw a model of the ear.

"Your next question is what the names of the three smallest bones called? For extra credit, what are the three bones known collectively as?" Sharpay asked me.

"The three names are Malleus, Incus, and Stapes. They are collective known as Auditory Ossicles." I told her as she nodded her head.

"You may advance now." Sharpay told me as we walked into another classroom this time Kelsi was standing at the front.

"Name the valve that separates the left atrium from the left ventricle." Kelsi told me. I started to panic because I couldn't remember the name.

"Um . . . the mitral." I told her as she grinned at me.

"Correct. Troy show her into the next room." Kelsi told while Troy squeezed my hand.

"The next question for the lady is name of the vein that carries blood from the lungs to the left atrium." Jason asked me.

"The pulmonary vein carries blood from the lungs to the left atrium." I told him.

"Correct you may now proceed with Troy's help." Jason told me as Troy led me out to the hallway.

"Thank you so much for doing this." I told Troy giving him a hug and looking at him.

"We're not done yet, Princess. We still have a little bit to go." Troy told me leading me to another classroom.

He opened the door and all of our friends were sitting in the chairs. I walked in and saw his dad standing at the desk.

"Good morning Coach Bolton." I told him placing my hands on the desk and leaning. Troy went and sat in one of the chairs.

"Good morning Gabi. How have you done so far?" Coach asked me as I looked at my friends' faces.

"Very well. I had a little trouble with Kelsi's question but I've done well." I told him.

"Well this may be the hardest part yet. You are to take this piece of paper and go back to the lab. I'm going to give you 45 minutes to fill in as many as these as you can. I will call time when it is up. Are you ready?" Coach asked me.

"Yup. Can I start now?" I asked him as I walked back to the lab, which there were 5 fetal pigs sitting there with pins in various places.

"Ok Gabi you may begin." Coach told me as I sat down at the table with the first pig.

Forty five minutes passed by in an instance. Before I knew it, Coach was telling me time. I managed to get through all five of the pigs. I walked up to the front and handed the paper to him. He smiled at me as I walked over to a chair and threw my head back.

"Are you all right, Gabi?" Ryan asked me as I picked my head up and looked at him.

"I will be once I see the results on that paper." I told him looking at the homework board.

"You will be fine. You've all ready studied your butt off and exams are another week away." Taylor told me as I shook my head.

"I've got to start studying if I want to make it into a good nursing school." I told them as Coach Bolton came over to where I was sitting.

"I think you're going to make a fine nurse someday." Coach told me handing me the paper.

I got 95 out of 100 correct. I was grinning at him as I looked over the paper.

"Why can't I remember where the pulmonary veins are on the pig?" I asked Coach Bolton as we walked back to the lab.

"Remember that blue means to the heart and red means away from the heart. Look right there. That's the pulmonary veins." Coach told me as I took the pin and poked it.

"All right I see it now." I told him looking at the pig. I saw Troy walk back to where his dad and I was.

"Congratulations babe. I think you are going to be a great nurse." Troy told me giving me a kiss.

"Thank you so much for getting all of our friends together and doing this." I told him giving him a hug.

"Well the funs not over yet. We're going out to lunch and then to a movie." Troy told me linking arms with me.

The nine of us walked out of the classroom and got into our cars that were waiting in the parking lot. We drove to a local restaurant and had burgers and fries before heading to the movie theatre. Grease was playing as we settled in for a long afternoon of old time movies.

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**There you guys go. Feedback and reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! I would love to hear your ideas for the story. Either PM me or leave reviews in the feedback section. Either way, I love hearing what my readers want me to write about in the next chapter!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don't own Troy, Gabriella, or any of the other character. If I did, then I would a wealthy person. I only own my own characters.**

**A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback. To this point there have been 177 replies and feedback for this story! You guys are the best ever! **

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_**May 14, 2008 9:30 am**_

I looked at the clock wishing time would pass by sooner. I saw Coach Bolton standing in front of class grinning at us like an idiot. I shook my head and looked at the clock.

"It seems it is 9:30 and that means it's time for your final Anatomy exams. Please take out your pencils and put your name on the top of the sheet I am handing out to you. You will notice that the front and back of this sheet is numbered 1 through 100. The first 75 questions are multiple choices. The last 25 are in the back. You have to go through the fetal pigs and name the structures that are pinned." Coach told us passing out the sheets of paper.

"Now if for some reason you do not get through the entire test, come see me and we'll work something out. Any questions?" Coach asked the classing while looking around the room.

"Good Gabi whenever you are ready you may head back to the first table and look at the pig." Coach told me as I got up and walked to the back.

I was glad that I had the opportunity to work on the pig first then the rest written part of the exam. I looked at the pig and grinned to myself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

_**11:00 am**_

I walked out of Coach's room with a big grin on my face. Troy was leaning against the locker with his boyish grin in tow. I walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss.

"So how was the exam? Did you do all right?" Troy asked me taking my hand in his.

"I think I did amazing on the fetal pig part but I'm not sure on the multiple choice part." I told him as we walked into our English class.

"All right class let's settle down and we'll start presentations." The teacher told us as we all took our seats.

'Are you all right?' asked a note that Troy slipped over to me.

'I'm fine. I'm just glad my anatomy final is done.' I wrote back to him.

'That's good. I have a question for you.' Troy wrote back to me as I grinned.

'What kind of question do you have for me?' I wrote back to him.

'Um . . . Would you like to go on a date with me while we're still high schoolers?' Troy wrote to me as I looked at him in shock.

'I would love to go on a date with you while we're still high schoolers.' I wrote back sliding the note to the left.

'Great I'll pick you up on Saturday night at 5:30. I've got some tricks up my sleeve.' Troy wrote me.

'I can't wait to see what you have planned. What is the dress code?' I wrote back to him while paying attention to the student who was presenting in front of the class.

'Um. . . I have yet to decide but I'm thinking it's going to be very, very dressy.' Troy wrote back.

'Like Prom dressy or skirt and cute shirt dressy?' I questioned him.

'Prom dressy. Do you have a dress you can wear?' Troy questioned back.

'I just bought a dress that hasn't been worn yet.' I wrote back.

"Mr. Bolton and Miss Montez kindly pay attention from now on." Our teacher told us as we both looked at her.

I looked at Troy and just shook my head and grinned at him. I shook my head as I put all my attention into the students who were presenting.

_**May 17, 2008 5:30 pm**_

I walked downstairs, still putting my earning in and walking into the kitchen. I leaned over and kissed Lucas' forehead as I walked over to where Mom was holding Tina.

"You look pretty Gabi." Mom told me rolling my eyes.

"Gabi pretty!" Lucas yelled from his high chair. I looked at mom and just rolled my eyes.

"Gabi, Dana and I were talking the other day and were wondering how long you and Troy had been going out for. We weren't sure on how long." Mom asked me in her own special way.

"Mom we've been going out since January 16, 2006. We've been going out for 28 months so far." I told her nodding my head.

"Wow we only thought you've been going out for like a year or so." Mom told me bouncing Tina on her hip.

"Sorry mom we have been going out for almost 2 1/2 years." I told her as I heard the doorbell ring.

"That's Troy. I've got my cell phone and I will be home later." I told mom while going and kissing her cheek. I walked to the hall and grabbed my purse.

I then walked quickly to the front door and saw Troy standing there with a goofy grin on his face. I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. He took my hand as we started to walk down my street.

"You look absolutely amazing babe. You blow me away every time I ask you to dress up." Troy told me as we to the house that had become our favorite spot to have dates.

"I try. But my mom picked this dress up for me the other day and I decided to wear it." I told him twirling around.

"Come on babe. We don't want to be late." Troy told me pushing open the door for me.

"Late for what? I thought we were on our own tonight." I told him looking inside the house.

"We are kind of on our own tonight but you'll see that later. Come on, let's go have dinner." Troy told me dropping my hand and pushing open the swinging door.

I walked into see the colors of red and white everywhere. There was a red table cloth with white roses on the table. There was red confetti on the white floor. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Is this a hint to something?" I asked him as he pulled out my chair for me.

"I just wanted to share our high school memories and I figured the first place was to start with our school colors." Troy told me taking the lid off our dinners. I looked at the plate and saw spaghetti with garlic bread.

I smiled as we started to eat. I looked at Troy and then around the room.

"How long have you been planning this date night?" I asked him wiping my mouth with my napkin.

"I've been planning it for a while. Between now and when we graduate, we probably will not be going on a date. So I just wanted to relive the memories with you." Troy told me reaching out and taking my hand in his.

"I can't believe we graduate in 5 days. It seems just yesterday that mom transferred here and I saw you again and now we're days away from graduating." I told him shaking my head.

"What I can't believe is that we've been dating for 28 months. Time sure does fly." Troy told me grinning.

"I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have that class with Darbus all those years ago. And now look at us and how happy we are." I told him as his cell phone rang.

Troy picked it up and looked at the caller I.D. He then answered it and gave it a weird look.

"Hey dad. What's up?" Troy asked as I heard Coach Bolton's reply on the other end.

"Yeah Gabi's with me. Why? Is something wrong?" Troy asked as Coach started to talk again.

"Sure hold on. Gabi dad wants to talk with you." Troy told me handing me the cell phone.

"Hey Gabi its Jack. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your date but I wanted to let you know about your exam score." Coach told me.

"If it's bad, I don't want to know." I told him looking at Troy and smiling.

"It's not bad trust me. You got a 96 on your final exam for Anatomy which gives you a score of 98 overall in the class." Jack told me as I grinned.

"Thank you Jack. Thank you for calling." I told him while we both hung up.

"It must bee good news if you have a grin that big." Troy told me handing back his cell phone.

"I got a 96 on my exam and a 98 in the class." I told him as he looked at me.

"Well Congratulations is in order. Congratulations Gabi. See you were fine." Troy told me giving me a look.

"I know but the more I work myself over something, the harder I will study for it." I told him.

"Ahh I see. Now you can relax tonight and just focus on what we are going to do tonight." Troy told me as I finished eating.

"So do I get a hint about what we're going to do tonight?" I asked him looking at him and standing up.

"Well I guess I could give you a hint. We're going to the place where we spend the most of our time." Troy told me as I gave him a look.

"I'm thinking East High has something to do with tonight?" I asked him taking his hand in mine.

"You are correct. We're going to East high." Troy told me swing our hands back and forth.

"Why are we going there?" I asked him looking at him and grinning.

"You're going to have to wait until we get there. You will love it." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"How do you know I will love it?" I asked him as we approached the high school.

"I just know you very well and you're going to love it." Troy told me as we went up to the front doors.

I saw a pink envelope taped to the front window of the door. Troy motioned me to get it and open it up. I tore open the envelope and took out the slip of paper.

_Gabi, this is where the fun begins. This is a total date night where we're going to spend the entire time remembering what took place at the various places during our high school careers. The first place we start is where we started every morning. _

I finished reading and pulled open the door and walked inside the deserted hallways. I held Troy's hand as we walked down to our lockers.

"What's this?" I asked him looking at the blue envelope hanging on my locker. I tore open the envelope.

_Remember what we did every morning before class? I do and you're standing here grinning, so I know you do. Open your locker and see what lies inside._

I finished reading the note and then spun the dial of my lock. 16-21-34. I pulled open the door and smiled when I saw the pink and peach roses in a vase in the middle of my locker. The vase was sitting on another envelope. I grabbed it and tore it open.

_Now go to the place where we would go to after the lockers. _

The note simply stated and we walked towards Mrs. Darbus' classroom. I looked around and saw no envelopes.

"Where am I going to look?" I asked Troy as he looked around the room.

"Hm . . . I don't know. Where did you usually sit?" Troy asked me smiling.

"Oh. I didn't think about that." I told him walking over to where I usually sat. I looked at the seat and saw nothing. I put my hand under the table and felt nothing.

"If you want me to get on the floor in this dress, you're nuts boy." I told him.

"You big baby. Feel with your hands under the seat. This is supposed to be for you, not me." Troy told me as I felt something taped to the seat.

I pulled open the envelope and pulled out the pink sheet of paper.

_Gabi, this is where the fun begins. The next place on our little journey is where we spent our Friday nights. Go there but you have to put a blind fold on so you can be totally surprised. Have fun!_

After reading the envelope, I turned around and looked at Troy. He was standing there with a grin on his face.

"You're enjoying this too much. Put the blindfold on so we can go to the gym." I told him grinning and turning around.

"You're hilarious! Bend down a little." Troy told me putting on the blindfold.

"Can you see anything? Actually, how many fingers am I holding up?" Troy asked me as I laughed.

"You're holding up 5 fingers." I told him as he tightened the blindfold a little.

"Now you're set. Take my hand and I will not run you into any doors." Troy promised me laughing.

"You better not or there will be hell to pay." I told him as I heard him open another door.

"Ok don't take off the blindfold until I tell you too." Troy told me as I heard the lights flick on.

"Ok, Gabi, you can take off the blindfold now." Troy told me as I pulled the blindfold off.

I looked around the room at amazement. There were balloons and confetti everywhere. There were also pictures of us sitting around the gym. I walked around looking at the photos. There were pictures of us from the play our sophomore year, homecoming during junior and senior years, and every event that we had celebrated together during our high school careers. There were pictures there I didn't even know existed.

"Where did you get these pictures?" I asked him looking at all the photographs.

"Friends of the two of us, yearbook staff, and the parents." Troy told me as I went and sat down in the middle of the gym floor.

"Remember when back to when we went the championship during our senior year? You had to come calm me down because I was so nervous." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"You were acting strangely. Did anything I say stick with you?" I asked him looking at the photos again.

"You told me to kick some West High Knight butt." Troy told me grinning.

"How did I know you would remember that and only that?" I asked him shaking my head.

"Because you told me to kick their butt and we did." Troy told me.

"Remember when you took me out of class after the shooting and you tried to calm me down? You said so many things that calmed me down." I told him as he kissed my forehead.

"I tried and I was successful. Look at you know. You're going to graduate high school and then you're going to go to college and one day, get married to me." Troy told me holding out his hand and I grabbed it.

"Well look at you. You're graduating with honors, Troy. You successfully completed 4 years of basketball. You're friends with most of the high school. And you're a normal dude, not some basketball man." I told him.

"You were the one that helped me through that. You made me see things from their perspective. You made me realize that I am someone who is normal and regular." Troy told me.

"Well you helped me realize that I'm not just the freaky math girl. You helped me realize that people liked me for other reasons." I told him cuddling closer to him.

"We've done a lot for each other, haven't we?" Troy asked me looking at me and pushing my hair off to one side.

"We have. We've been there for each other every time we've needed one another. I'm just scared that we won't be there for each other one time." I told him looking at him.

"I will be here when you need me. I'm just a phone call away." Troy told me giving me a kiss.

We sat there for a while and just looked around and thought about everything that had taken place there in the past 3 years.

"You ready to go?" Troy asked me while I gave him a look.

"Yeah. Is the night over so soon?" I asked him looking at my silver and red watch.

"No the night isn't over until I take you home and no one has mentioned anything about home yet." Troy told me dropping a kiss on my lips.

Troy grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the gym and back out to the outside. We walked along and just talked about who knows what.

"Now where?" I asked him walking around and looking up at the sky.

"Um . . . I'm thinking of somewhere we spent a lot of time." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"That could be anywhere." I told him rolling my eyes.

"No I want you to think really hard." Troy told me as we turned onto my street.

"I'm thinking we're going to go sit on my porch and talk about college." I told him grinning.

"I think you're right." Troy told me as he walked up to my front porch.

We sat down on the swing and I sat down next to him. I laced my fingers together with his and laid my head down on his shoulder. I sighed in contentment. I stood up while grinning at Troy.

"Mr. Troy Bolton, may I have this dance?" I asked him the familiar question that he had asked me millions of times.

"You, my love, may have all the dances of our lives." Troy told me repeating my familiar answer.

We danced to a tune that only the two of us heard. When that tune ended, another one started. We were out there for 2 hours just slow dancing and talking quietly.

At 10 pm, we walked out to my backyard and laid on the dew covered grass. We continued to hold hands and looked at the stars.

"Do you think the stars hold our futures in their brightness?" I asked Troy as he looked at me.

"I do and I see our whole future up there." Troy told me looking me deep in the eyes.

"Well what do the stars hold for our future?" I asked him looking up at the big dipper.

"We're going to get married by the summer before our senior year, we're going to finish college together and have great jobs, and then we're going to have a houseful of kids." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"We're going to have the best life possible. Just you watch and see." I told Troy looking at him.

"Have you decided what you want to study in college?" Troy asked me looking at me.

"I want to study Physical Therapy. I want to help people walk again." I told him while looking at him.

"That's a good idea. You'll be great at that." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"What do you want to do? Have you decided yet?" I asked him playing with his class ring on his hand.

"I'm thinking I want to be a physical education major with a minor in education." Troy told me.

"Of course you'll be good at that." I told him looking at him.

"A physical therapy major and a physical education major. We just like being physical." Troy told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Hahaha funny guy. You ain't getting anything until we're married." I told him giving him a kiss.

We stayed out there until midnight and then I saw my mom moving around within the house. I got up off the grass and helped Troy up. We walked silently to the front of the house and gave each other a kiss goodnight. Troy watched me go into the house and then turned and left.

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**Feedback and Reviews are WANTED and APPRECIATED! Thank you goes out to everyone who has sent in feedback! **


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own Troy, Gabriella, or any of the other character. If I did, then I would a wealthy person. I only own my own characters.**

**A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback. To this point there have been 185 replies and feedback for this story! You guys are the best ever! **

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**_May 22, 2008 8:45 am_**

Well it's the day Troy, I, and all of our friends and classmates have been waiting for. It's graduation day. We have to be up at the high school at 9 for practice. I hear my mom talking with someone as I run down the stairs.

"Troy, for once in your life, you're early. You amaze me every day." I told him walking over to him and kissing him.

"Well for once, Montez, you're late. I guess I'll forgive you this time." Troy told me grinning.

"Watch it buddy. You're going to be toast." I told him grabbing a banana and walking towards the front door.

"Come on hon or we're going to be late." Troy told me as he followed me to the door.

We walked down my front steps and started to walk towards the school. I looked over at Troy, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him squeezing his hand.

"I'm thinking about how fast high school went by. Freshman year was boring and high school for me didn't start until I met you in our sophomore year. And now we're graduating tonight and then we'll start college and who knows then." Troy told me as we neared the school.

"It will be ok. Taylor, Chad, you, and I will all be at the same college next year. We'll still see everyone and we'll keep in touch. You're going to have friends around you. You don't have to worry about that." I told him walking through the familiar halls of the school and heading down to the gym.

We walked in and saw all of our classmates standing around talking. I heard several people call our mine and Troy's names. Troy waved his hand at them as we approached our group of friends.

"I'm so going to cry tonight." I heard Sharpay say as we walked up to the group.

"Why are you going to be crying? There is nothing to cry about." Chad told her looking at me.

"I'll be crying, I guarantee it." I told them raising my hand and looking at the group.

"Me too." Taylor and Kelsi both agreed as Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi, and I all stuck our tongues out at Chad.

"But why will you guys be crying?" Ryan asked us as the four of us looked at each other.

"Because it's the closing of a chapter of our lives and the beginning of another one. Plus we aren't going to be together in the fall. We'll be in different places. It's the last time our whole class will be together." I told him looking at the stage.

Our principle got up on stage and started to try to calm down our senior class. We all got up and walked to the cafeteria where they lined us up in the order we would be walking in. Troy and I were walking together; Chad and Taylor; Sharpay and Zeke; Kelsi and Jason; and Ryan and Peyton, a girl who was really big into the arts.

We walked in and practiced sitting down as one row instead of bunch a people individually. It didn't go very well, since our class didn't know how to listen.

We quickly went through the valedictorian and the salutatorian's speeches. Troy and I held hands as we listened to their remarks.

"You should be up there." Troy whispered to me while playing with my promise ring.

"No I shouldn't. I am graduating in the top ten of my class and I'm happy with that." I told him listening to the valedictorian's speech.

"You worked hard all through high school and you should be the valedictorian." Troy argued with me as I gave him a look.

"I'm graduating 5th in my class out of 230 students. I'm happy with that." I told him.

"Well I disagree but I'm not going to argue with you. What are you doing after this?" Troy asked me.

"Nice change of subject! I don't think I'm doing anything. Got something planned?" I asked him grinning.

"I'm thinking of inviting all of our friends to go out to lunch with us and then go hang out at my house and talk. Sound good?" Troy asked me.

"That sounds like fun. Get it planned and we'll go." I told him turning to Taylor and starting a conversation with her.

"I don't want tonight to come." I told her grinning.

"You are so ready for tonight and the future. Especially since you've got Troy by your side." Taylor told me grinning.

"And you're saying that you're not ready because you have Chad by your side?" I asked her giggling.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Chad ain't ready for the future." Taylor told me as we both erupted in giggles.

"Are you two done giggling? If so, we're all ready to go." Troy asked Taylor and I as we fell into giggles again.

"Girls, you can't live with them; can't live without them." I heard Chad mutter to Troy causing Troy to grin.

"You just don't know how to live with them. I do; watch skinny man and learn." Troy told Chad walking over to where Taylor and I were and leaned down and started to whisper in my ear.

"Come on you can spend all lunch talking with Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay. We don't want to spend more time than we have to, do we?" Troy asked me leaning down so I can jump onto his back.

"No we don't. So where did you guys decide on lunch?" I asked him jumping on his back.

"We're going to Pizza Hut for their buffet. Sound good?" Troy asked me while running.

"Stop running because you're going to drop me and that sounds good." I told him looking behind us at all of our friends standing there shaking their heads at us.

"Come on slow pokes. Or we're going without you." Troy yelled which I fell into giggles.

"Honey, we're going to have to go back to either mine or your house to get one of the cars." I told him ruffling his hair.

"Hey guys, we'll meet you at Pizza Hut because we've got to get my truck." Troy told them as we all walked outside.

"Ok we'll see you guys there. We'll pull a bunch of tables together." Ryan told us as we all went our separate ways.

Troy and I started to walk towards his house. We held hands which were swing back and forth gently. I started to hum a song. Troy turned to me giving me a weird look.

"Sing for me. Please?" Troy asked me giving me the famous puppy dog face.

"Are you going to make me do this now?" I asked him giving him the same look he just gave me.

"Fine! Don't sing but what song were you just humming?" Troy asked me.

"Hold on. Let me clear my throat and then I'll sing to you." I told him clearing my throat and started to sing.

_Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart  
It's the end of the world in my mind  
Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call  
I've been looking for the answer  
Somewhere  
I couldn't see that it was right there  
But now I know what I didn't know _

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

"That's beautiful but it doesn't give me a clue on who sang it." Troy told me grinning.

"You weren't a fan of Summerland or Jesse McCartney were you?" I asked him grinning.

"It was Jesse McCartney? You'll have to give me the C.D." Troy told me as we neared his house.

"Yes it was Jesse McCartney and the song was 'Because You Live'" I told him climbing into his truck.

"Do you have the CD with you?" Troy asked me as I rolled my eyes.

"Sure I just carry the CD around with me 24/7. No, Troy it's at my house." I told him as he backed out of my driveway.

"Ok we're going to make a pit stop at your house so we can listen to the CD." Troy told me as I stared out of the window.

"Why are you so interested in this CD?" I asked him holding his hand.

"You like his music and I just want to see what you like about it. I didn't even know you liked the guy." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"You probably don't know who I listen to, do you?" I asked him as he pulled into my driveway.

"Think on it a few minutes while I go get this." I told him getting out of the car and going into the house.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to lunch." Mom asked me as I grinned at her.

"Troy wants one of my CDs to listen to and then we're going to lunch. I'll be back." I told her running up to my room and getting the CD.

I walked back downstairs and grinned at my mom before heading back out to Troy's truck. I slid into the truck and put the CD in the CD player. I scanned to track 10 and turned to Troy.

"This is the song I sang for you. Enjoy it and then you can tell me who I all listen to." I told him grinning.

He drove while we listened to the song and then Troy turned to me grinning.

"That's a great song and I'm glad you introduced it to me. Now for whom you listen to: NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Usher, Michelle Branch, Aly & AJ, Jesse McCartney, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, The Killers, Shakira, Green Day, Gloria Estefan, All American Rejects, Alicia Keys, Kristen Chenoweth, Daniel Powter, James Blunt, and the Fray. Is there anyone I left out?" Troy asked me grinning.

"No I think you did a great job. Now I've got a tough one for you. What's my favorite CD?" I asked him as we pulled into the parking lot of Pizza Hut.

"Oh that's a tough one. Can I think about it through lunch and get back to you?" Troy asked me as we both got out of the car.

"Sure think it over and let me know." I told him walking into the restaurant and sitting down with all of our friends.

The conversation was fun and entertaining as usual. Chad kept all of us laughing and I couldn't help but notice Troy looking a little down. I squeezed his hand and looked over at him.

"You ok?" I asked him whispering and giving him a concerned look.

"Yeah I'm fine." Troy told me showing me one of his fake smiles.

"Yo Troy where's your head at?" Jason asked him giving him a goofy grin.

"I'm trying to think of Gabi's favorite CD. Got any ideas?" Troy asked our group of 7 friends.

"Gabi's favorite CD? She seems like Rascal Flatts type of girl to me." Zeke told me as I stole a look at Sharpay.

'Don't tell them.' I mouthed to her when I caught her eyes. She nodded and turned back to the conversation.

"She seems like a Queen type of girl to me." Chad told the group as I rolled my eyes.

"Get real. Queen is a great band but not my favorite." I told him grinning.

"I'm thinking she's a James Blunt type of girl." Taylor told Troy nodding her head.

"She seems to me more like a Shakira fan." Ryan told the group as I grinned.

"Nah she's not that. She's a Daniel Powter type of girl." Jason told Troy.

"Nah I'm thinking she's more of a Wicked type of girl." Kelsi told the group.

"And Sharpay what do you think?" Troy asked turning his attention to her.

"I'm thinking she's more of a Jesse McCartney type of girl." Sharpay told him grinning.

"Hm . . . those are all good choices but I don't know which one I'm going to pick." Troy told me grinning.

"I will give you a hint. One of our friends hit it right on the head." I told him leaning into his embrace.

"Now I have to guess which friend, correct, my love?" Troy asked me.

"You sure do. I'll give you until we leave the building to decide and then if you don't get it, I'll just tell you." I told him.

"Hm. . . I'm thinking I'm going to go with Sharpay." Troy told me as Sharpay and I high fived each other.

"Um . . . sorry hun, you're wrong. Kelsi was actually right." I told him looking over at Kelsi.

"You like Wicked over Jesse McCartney?" Troy asked me in disbelief.

"I love Wicked and Jesse McCartney comes in a close second." I told him leaning over and kissing him.

"Now that we have that settled, how about we leave and go somewhere?" Chad asked us as we all agreed.

"But where are we going to go?" Zeke asked us as Troy and I turned to each other.

"We can go over to my house and hang out in the basement. My mom won't care." I told them as we paid for our lunch.

"We'll meet you guys there." I yelled as I ran out to Troy's truck and got in giggling.

"I can't believe you like Wicked more than Jesse McCartney." Troy told me shaking his head at me.

"You'll survive. You're not dead from shock yet so I don't think you will." I told him grinning.

The ride home was filled with Jesse McCartney and silence. I looked out the window and smiled at the thought of me spending time with my boyfriend and all of our friends.

We arrived home and quickly told my mom that all of our friends were coming over in a few minutes to hang out. She agreed to it and shooed us down to the basement because Lucas and Tina were napping. I could tell my mom was having a hard time with me graduating. She would be crying awfully hard tonight. I shook my head as I walked downstairs.

_**7:00 pm**_

"Remember you have nothing to be nervous about. You two will be fine." Jack told us as he stood in the cafeteria with the rest of the graduating class and all the teachers.

"Dad we'll be fine. I'm not nervous at all." Troy told his dad with cockiness in his voice.

"You're nervous Troy just like I am. Keep trying to convince yourself other wise." I told him coming over to him and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"I am nervous but I don't know why." Troy told me as we stood in line and waited to walk in.

"You're nervous because you are starting a new chapter in your life. You will be fine because you have your friends with you by your side." I told him as we walked into the gym, arms linked.

We made it up the aisle without tripping and before Troy and I knew it, we were walking up the stage to get our diplomas. I heard my name being called and walked up to huge amounts of screaming. When Troy received his, it was so loud in there. I walked back to my seat with a heavy heart and a huge grin.

Then before we knew it, our principle was motioning us to turn our tassels and pronounced as the Class of 2008. That was when it hit me that I was done with high school forever and then the tears came. The music started and we walked out as graduates of East High.

I don't remember walking into the cafeteria to get my actual diploma; Troy just led me where we were supposed to go. I had so many people, people I never knew, come up to me and congratulated me. I must have been looking for my mom because Troy turned to me.

"Gabi she's over there with my parents. You want to go see them?" Troy asked me grinning.

"Yeah let's get away from the noise and go and see them." I told him grabbing his hand and leading him over to where my mom and his parents were.

"Congratulations guys." Mom told me as new tears came rushing down my face.

"Aww Gabi you don't have to cry. It's going to be all right." Mom told me wrapping her arms around me and pulling me closer to her.

"I'm just so happy and that's why I'm crying. I'll be all right." I told her forcing a smile.

"You two have any plans tonight?" Jack asked us as I looked at Troy.

"We're going to get something to eat and then who knows." Troy told his dad.

"That sounds great. Don't be too late." Dana told us as I nodded my head.

"We won't." I told her as we walked to the car. We stopped so mom and Jack could take pictures of Troy and I before we took our cap and gown off.

"Come on dad, we'll do this later." Troy complained as I hit him.

"Stop complaining. He'll be done in a minute." I told him smiling at the camera.

"One day you will thank me for that." Jack told him as I nodded my head.

"I'm all ready thanking you for that." I told him as I took off my cap and threw it into my mom's car.

After my gown was off, I held Lucas and Tina for a minute while Troy held Sarah and Nathan. We said goodbye to both of our families and were on our way to Troy's Truck. We drove to Burger King, parked, and walked into the restaurant.

"So what will it be babe?" Troy asked me as my eyes swept the huge menu.

"I'll have a strawberry shake and fries." I told him as he gave me a look.

"You heard the girl and I'll have double cheese burger and a coke." Troy told the girl at the counter.

We waited a few minutes before our food came up. We picked a quiet corner and sat down. I waited a few minutes before talking.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked him holding out my hand for him to take.

"I can't believe we just graduated high school. I can't believe how fast it went by." Troy told me grinning.

"Me either. I can't believe in a little more than 3 months we'll be starting our freshman year at UNM." I told him giving him a look.

"We will be fine. By this time next year, we'll be engaged and planning our wedding." Troy told me grinning.

"Well that just gives me something to look forward to. Our lives together." I told him yawning.

"Aww is my baby tired? We should probably get you home." Troy told me as we stood up and threw our trash away.

I walked silently back to Troy's truck. I got in and laid my head against the cool window and looked at the window. I felt Troy stroke my hand as he drove me to my house. He pulled in the driveway and walked me up the porch steps.

"Congratulations wildcat graduate! I'm so proud of you baby." Troy told me wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Congratulations to you too wildcat. You're my favorite wildcat." I told him leaning up and giving him a kiss.

"Good because you're my favorite science geek." Troy told me as he gave me an earth shattering kiss.

"Good night princess and I'll see you tomorrow morning." Troy told me as he walked off the porch.

I opened the door as our cuckoo clock started to chime 10 o'clock. I heard Troy's truck back out of the driveway and watched it take off down the street. I turned off the living room light my mom always left on and walked silently upstairs. I peeked into Lucas' room and saw that he was sleeping peacefully in his bed. I then peeked into Tina's room and saw her sleeping at the foot of her bed. I covered her up and walked to my mom's room.

What I saw scared me to death. I started to panic when I saw what my mom looked like. Mom was the palest I had ever seen her. She was all sweaty and clamy. I walked over to my mom and put my index and middle fingers on her neck and checked for a pulse. I picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1 and answered all their questions. I ran quickly downstairs and opened the front door. I ran upstairs and sat with her gripping her hand.

"Mom you've got to be ok." I whispered as I heard the sirens nearing our house.

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**Cliffhanger! I know I'm so evil! Reviews and Feedback are appreciated! **

**Oh I don't own any of the bands or artists named in this chapter!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I don't own Troy, Gabriella, or any of the other Disney characters. If I did, then I would a wealthy person. I only own my own characters.**

**A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback. To this point there have been 202 replies and feedback for this story! You guys are the best ever! Here's the next chapter because most of you wanted to know what happens to Gabi's mom. Enjoy!**

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_**May 22, 2008 10:15 pm**_

It felt like it took the ambulance forever to get to our house. I heard the door click open and heard voices downstairs. I walked out into the hallway and motioned them upstairs.

"Can you tell me what you know?" One of the paramedics asked me pulling me aside so they could start to work on my mom.

"I came home about 15 minutes to find my mom like she is." I told him watching them work.

"Has your mom been sick the last few days?" He continued to ask me.

"She's been perfectly fine and I haven't noticed anything different about her." I told him honestly.

"Is there anyone you can call to come with you to the hospital?" The paramedic asked me while I shook my head.

I left the room and went into my room to grab my cell phone. I dialed a familiar phone number. I heard the phone ring, finally to be picked up by someone.

"Bolton Residence. How can I help you?" I heard Jack ask as tears rushed to my eyes.

"Jack, its Gabi. Could you guys meet me at the hospital?" I asked him sobbing.

"Gabi what's wrong?" Jack asked me with concern in his voice.

"Something is wrong with my mom. The paramedics are at my house right now." I told him.

"Which hospital, Gabi?" Jack asked me as I looked at he paramedic and he mouthed a hospital.

"We're going to General. Will you meet me there?" I asked him quietly.

"Bring Lucas and Tina and we'll meet you there in about 20 minutes." Jack told me as we hung up.

"We're ready to transport your mom. Are you going to ride with us or separate?" The paramedic asked me.

"I'm going to drive separate because I have to get my siblings up." I told him as I watched them take my mom down the stairs and out to the ambulance.

I rushed back upstairs and got Lucas out of his bed and then Tina out of hers. I rushed back downstairs, grabbing my purse and keys and ran out of the door. I opened the backseat door and quickly buckled Lucas and Tina into their car seats. I made sure the stroller was in the backseat before jumping into the front. I started the car and drove silently to the hospital. I kept praying that mom would be all right. I made a promise that if she was all right, I would never do a bad thing ever. I pulled into the hospital's parking lot and parked. I opened the back door to see Lucas and Tina were still asleep. I smiled as I grabbed the stroller out of the back end. I placed each of the sleeping children in it before steering it inside. I walked over to the desk and waited for the girl to notice me.

"How may I help you?" She asked in her cheerful tone, which was in my opinion, too cheerful for 10:30 at night.

"My mom was brought in here a few minutes ago." I told her as she looked at the computer screen.

"What was the last name?" She asked me looking up at me.

"The last name was Montez and the first name Anna." I told her looking around the dead ER. I was thankful for that.

"A doctor is working on her now. You can go have a seat in waiting and we'll come get you when we know something." The attendant told me.

"And where can I find waiting?" I asked her getting annoyed with her.

"Right around the corner sweetheart." She told me while smacking her gum.

"First off, I'm not your sweetheart and second off, you're too damn cheerful for this time at night." I told her, going off on her.

"You will have to excuse her. She's under huge amounts of stress." I heard someone come up behind me and take my hand, leading me away from the desk.

"Damn it Troy. I was just about to give her a piece of my mind." I told him as he put an arm around me and pushed the stroller.

"You don't need to be giving people a piece of your mind right now. You have to concentrate on finding out what's wrong with your mom." Troy told me as we walked towards the waiting room where his parents were waiting.

"Gabi how's your mom doing?" Dana asked me as we walked into the waiting room.

"The doctor is still with her." I told her sitting down next to her.

"We were getting worried and that's why we sent Troy to find you." Jack told me.

"She was harassing some desk lady for being too cheerful." Troy told them laughing.

"She called me sweetheart and the last time I checked, I wasn't her sweetheart." I told them turning quiet.

"What's wrong Gabi?" Jack asked me sitting beside me. He placed an arm protectively around me.

"I can't get that image of my mom out of my head. She was so pale and clammy. Her pulse was so slow. I had a hard time finding it." I told him with fear in my voice and eyes.

"The doctors are trying to do everything they can. Your mom is a fighter and she'll pull through." Jack told me giving me a hug.

"I hope so. I don't know what I would do without here." I told him giving him a hug back. Jack got up so Troy could take his place.

"You will be all right, baby. Everything will turn out in the end." Troy told me pressing his lips to my forehead.

We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. I was leaning against Troy's chest. I stared at Lucas and Tina; they looked so peaceful laying there sleeping. I felt the tears rush to my eyes as I watched them sleep. I didn't realize I was crying hard until Troy looked down at me.

"You all right? Gabi, hun are you all right?" Troy asked me shaking me out of my trance.

"No I'm not all right. I want answers from the doctors and I want my mom to be all right." I told him looking straight into his eyes.

"You have to have faith and patience. They are trying to make a correct diagnosis." Troy told me running his fingers through my messy curls.

"I know but I can't calm down. I just want her to be ok. I don't want my mom to die." I told him, whispering the last part.

"She won't die. Your mom is too healthy for that to happen. She's a strong woman." Troy told me as something caught my eye in the doorway.

"Is there any family here for Anna Montez?" The guy in the white lab coat asked us as we all stood up.

"I'm her daughter and these are her friends. What's wrong?" I asked leaning against Troy and Jack.

"There was a complication. She's in a coma now and we're hopeful that she will wake up in the next few hours." The doctor told me.

"Can I ask what the complication was?" I asked him fearing the absolute worst.

"Her heart stopped for a couple of seconds but we got it pumping again." The doctor told me.

"Can I see her now?" I asked him looking out into the hallway of the busy hospital.

"She's in room 209. You can but only for a few minutes; only two people at a time. If you have any questions, you can ask the nurse and she'll page me." The doctor told me leaving the room.

"Do you guys want to see her first?" I asked Dana and Jack looking over at Hannah and the two strollers which held each set of twins.

"No you and Troy go ahead and see her. We'll go in after you guys." Dana told me giving me a hug.

Troy and I walked down the hallway to the room where my mom was staying. I pushed open the door and padded quietly against the tile floor to go and stand next to her bed. I picked up her cold hand and held it in mine.

"Hi mom. It's Gabi. Troy and I are here and we are both praying for you. I love you and you have to get better soon." I told her leaning over and kissing her forehead.

"Hey Anna we're both pulling for you. We want to see your smile tomorrow morning when we come back to see you." Troy told my mom leaning over and giving her a gently kiss on her forehead. We walked out of the room; hand in hand back to the waiting room.

I watched his parents walk out of the waiting room before collapsing into Troy's arms. I sobbed as he ran his fingers through my messy curls. Troy kept whispering calming words and phrases into my ear as I cried. I finally calmed down and looked at him.

"Can I ask you something?" I question him as his parents came back into the room.

"Go for it, Gabi." Troy told me as we sat down and I pulled my knees up to my chest.

"What would happen to us if something did happen to my mom?" I asked him fearing the worst.

"I'm glad you asked that because your mom just signed her final will a couple of weeks ago. If something did happen to your mom, you would come live with Dana and me. Your mom requested that we raise Lucas and Tina like our own." Jack told me as my eyes went wide.

"You guys would do that? Open your house to the three of us just like that? Why?" I asked Dana and Jack.

"Because I know what it feels like to abandoned at such a young age. Both of my parents died when I was a teen and if it wasn't for my aunt and uncle, I don't know where I would have been today." Dana told me.

"I don't know how I could ever thank you. You guys are so good to Troy and I." I told them truthfully.

"You guys are most welcome. But that only happens if something happens to your mom, Gabi. You can stay at the house while your mom is in the hospital." Jack told me as I nodded my head.

"Let me go say good night to her and I'll meet you guys at the cars." I told them.

"Did you drive here Gabi?" Jack asked me as I nodded my head.

"Yeah here are the keys. Will you go and put Tina and Lucas in their car seats?" I asked him as he nodded his head.

I treaded down to my mom's room. I opened the door and I walked over to her bedside. I grabbed her hand in mine and stared down at her.

"Mom, I'm leaving for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Sleep well and get better. You've got so many people cheering for you. I love you momma." I told her smiling.

"Gabi." I heard her say softly and as I turned back around.

"Momma don't talk. Just rest." I told her smoothing her hair back.

"I just want to tell you that I don't have much time. You made me so proud, my girl. I want you to be there always for your siblings and never forget me. You are my princess and I love you. You will be a successful girl and you make me so proud. Be good to the Boltons and help them raise your sister and brother." Mom told me softly.

"Mom you're going to be fine. Just sleep and get better. That's all I ask." I told her kissing her forehead.

"Good night my sweet baby. I love you." Mom told me drifting off to sleep.

"I love you too momma." I told her watching her sleep for a minute before walking out of the room.

Little did I know, that would be the last conversation I would ever have with my mom.

_**May 23, 2008 8:00 am**_

I giggled at something Troy had said as we neared my mom's room. I gently twisted the knob and pushed open the door to find the room was vacant. I looked around, my gaze falling on Troy.

"Where is she, Troy?" I asked him immediately fearing the worst.

"Maybe they moved her to another room. Let's go check at the desk." Troy told me as I looked at him.

We walked out of the room and down to the nurse's station. We waited until one of the nurses noticed us.

"How can I help you?" A pretty little nurse asked us as I looked at the ground.

"We're looking for her mother, Anna Montez." Troy told the nurse as I pulled my head up and looked at Troy.

"Oh I'm so sorry. Your mother passed away last night. I thought someone called you." The nurse told me.

"Nobody called or anything. How did she die?" I asked the nurse fearing she died in pain.

"She died of a massive heart attack. I'm so sorry for your loss." The nurse told me.

"Thank you." I told her as I walked towards the elevator. Troy stopped me and pulled me into a hug.

"Everything will turn all right, you hear me Gabi? I'm not going to leave you for a single second. I love you too much." Troy told me as I cried into his shoulder.

"I didn't get to say goodbye Troy. Last night I just told her I loved her and then left." I told him crying.

"I know baby. Your mom knew that you, Lucas, and Tina all loved her." Troy told me as we walked onto the elevator.

"Oh God Tina and Lucas. What's going to happen to them?" I asked him fearing the worst.

"What do you mean? My parents are going to take care of them. Remember what my parents said last night?" Troy asked me.

"They will never know their mother. It's going to be my responsibility to teach them everything about my mom." I told him as fresh tears escaped my eyelids.

"You don't have to worry about that now. We will deal with it together. Now let's get you back to my house." Troy told me walking towards his truck.

The drive home was so silent you could cut it with a knife. I tried to stop the tears from coming down my face. It wasn't working very effectively. I heard the truck come to a stop before Troy took my hand and led me out of the truck.

"Do you want me to tell my parents or you?" Troy asked me as we neared his front door.

"I'll tell them. Then I guess I'll have to set up a funeral. Good God, I don't know how to set up a funeral. I'm not supposed to bury my mother at 18 years of age." I told him crying again.

Troy led me to the swing and just sat there not saying anything, while I cried. He just ran his fingers through the curls I hadn't bothered to run a brush through. He rocked the swing back and forth while I calmed down.

"Are you going to be ok now or do you need a minute?" Troy asked me when I pulled my head up to look at him.

"I think I'll be all right. I just want you by my side." I told him as we opened the door and walked inside.

"Gabi where?" Lucas asked me running from the kitchen and jumping into my arms.

"Hi buddy. How are you this morning?" I asked him forcing a smile onto my sadden face.

"Good. Dana made eggs." Lucas told me proudly as I sat him down at the table.

"That's good. Where's Tina?" I asked him looking around for my sister.

"Asleep." Lucas told me as I grinned at him.

"All right. Will you, Sarah, and Nathan go play while I talk to Dana and Jack?" I asked him as he nodded his head.

"Let go Sawar and Nat." Lucas told them as they all totted out of the kitchen.

I sat down at the kitchen table and placed my head on the table. I picked it up and looked at Hannah, Jack, Dana, and Troy. I cleared my throat and started to talk.

"My mom died last night. She died of a massive heart attack." I told them as Dana covered her mouth.

"Gabi I'm so sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to her getting better." Dana told me as she wrapped her arms around my small frame.

"Thanks but I have a question for you. Are you guys willing to house the three of us for a while until I get back on my feet?" I asked Jack and Dana.

"We can house you guys forever it you wanted to. We want you to stay here so we can keep an eye on you guys." Jack told me.

"The only problem I can see happening, is what to do with Lucas and Tina while I go to school." I said looking at the people I knew would get me through the next few years.

"I'll watch them while you go to school. But please consider our offer. We want you to stay here so we can help you guys go through this difficult period." Dana told me as I looked at her.

"I don't want to impose on your family. We've done too much all ready." I told them looking at Troy.

"You're not going to impose. You're all ready part of the family, Gabi. You're 18 years old. You don't need to be caring for two 2 year olds." Jack told me gently as possible.

"I know but I still want to be here for them." I told him truthfully.

"And you can be but let Jack and I raise them as our own. You can be their sister but let us do the raising." Dana told me.

"Can I think about it for a while and get back to you?" I asked her fearing the worst.

"You take all the time you need. Do you need any help planning the ceremony for your mother?" Jack asked me.

"I do; like you said I'm 18 and I don't know how to plan a funeral." I told him honestly.

"We'll get started on that. Gabi I have one other question for you." Jack told me as I looked up at him.

"What's that?" I asked him smiling a little bit.

"If something is wrong or you just want to talk, please come to us and let us know. We're here to help. We know we'll never take the place of your parents but we want to be there for you." Jack told me as I nodded my head.

"I'll come to you if something isn't right. I don't know how I'm going to thank you guys for everything you've done, now and in the future. You guys are the greatest ever." I told them hugging Jack and Dana.

"You keep making Troy happy and that's all the thanks we'll ever need." Dana told me.

The rest of the day I tried to cope with the thought of me never seeing my mother again. Jack, Troy, and I planned out the funeral and what was going to happen.

The living arrangements at the Bolton's were planned. Sarah and Tina would share a room as would Lucas and Nathan. Troy would stay in his room and Hannah and I would share a room. The Bolton's kept making sure that was ok. I put on a genuine smile and said it was fine.

"Troy I have to go back to my house. Do you want to come with me?" I asked him standing in his doorway.

"Can't face it alone?" Troy asked me as he walked over to where I was.

"No. That was the last place I saw her in her normal setting. Plus I have to get clothes for the kids for the upcoming days. Then we have to decide what we're taking and what we're going to leave." I told him as he wrapped his arms around me.

"When is the executive of state being read?" Troy asked referring to the reading of my mother's will.

"Mom's lawyer is coming out tomorrow to read it. Will you be there for me when it's read?" I asked him as we walked downstairs.

"Of course I'll be there. I think mom and dad were planning on being there too." Troy told me walking into the kitchen.

"We're going over to her house to get some things. We'll be back later." Troy told his parents while they nodded their heads.

"Be careful you two and we'll see you later." Dana told me as I nodded my head.

The walk over to my house was filled with sadness, tiredness, and silence. I was thinking about all the times I walked back from his house and I would be smiling and giggling. This time it was just silence.

"You ready to go in?" Troy asked me while we stood in front of the house I had called home for the last 3 years.

"Yeah let's get this over with." I told him turning the knob of the door and pushed it open.

I looked around the living room at how neat and in order it was. That was my mother right there. Everything had a place and it was expected to be there. I walked into the kitchen and looked at the fridge. On the front of it was a note from my mother. I picked it up and read it. _Gabi, make sure to come wake me up when you get home. Congratulations on tonight. I love you girl!_ I held the note to me and that's how Troy found me when he came in.

"What's that?" Troy asked me walking towards me.

"It was a note that mom left on the fridge for me. I didn't even check the fridge when I came in." I told him.

"Well you found your mom in her room and you did what you thought was right. And it was the right thing to do." Troy told me as he hugged me.

"Let's go upstairs. I've got to do this sooner than later." I told him taking his hand in mine.

I walked into my room and grabbed one of my big suitcases. I started to throw clothes into the suitcase. Then I went into Lucas and Tina's room and did the same. I looked at Troy and saw that he was holding something.

"What are you looking at?" I asked him walking up behind him and peering over his shoulder.

I smiled at the photo that he held. It was Lucas, Tina, Troy, and I all at a basketball game. It was the wildcat madness game. Troy held Lucas as I held Tina and my mom had snapped the picture of us.

"That was a good night. Long but a good night." I told him as I sighed.

"Gabi can I make you a promise, right here and now?" Troy asked me pulling me into the rocking chair with him.

"What's this promise?" I asked him as he pushed the rocker back and forth.

"You're going to get through this. You just have to lean on my family and our friends. This is my life promise. Helping you get through this tragedy." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"I know I'm going to get through this. I'm just in shock that she's gone. It's just hard." I told him laying my head on his shoulder.

"I'm not saying it won't be hard but I want you to come to me and communicate what you are feeling." Troy told me.

"You want to know what I'm feeling? I'm happy because I'm with you; sad because of the oblivious; overwhelmed because I just graduated and now I have to attend a funeral for my mother; and ever emotion in between. I think after a good night's rest I'll be fine. I just need to be reminded that you are going to be there for me." I told him.

"Remember I'll always be your knight in shiny armor. You can come to me with anything. Between the two of us, we can handle anything." Troy told me kissing my cheek.

"You totally missed with that kiss." I told him giggling for the first time since I've found my mom last night.

"How did I totally miss with the kiss?" Troy asked me as I leaned over and kissed his lips.

"I think you were aiming for that spot but at the last minute decided on the cheek. Don't be afraid to kiss me. Actually your earth shattering kiss will help me forget what's going on in the world today." I told him as I pulled his head closer to mine and put my whole soul into that kiss.

We pulled back grinning and finished packing all the stuff we would need. I grabbed one of my black dresses from the back of my closet and a dress for Tina to wear to the funeral before leaving. Troy carried the suitcase down that had all of the clothes from their dressers. I added a suit for Lucas to wear before heading downstairs.

The walk home was filled with laughter and giggles. Troy tried to keep me laugh just to forget what was happening. More than once he dropped the suitcase and picked me up to spin me around. If nobody knew us, they would have thought we were acting like we normally do. Luckily on that walk home from my house, we ran into nobody we knew. I knew the tough day would be tomorrow when we told all of our friends what was happening on the 25th. Troy had promised me to be by my side the entire time.

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**Don't kill me! (Ducks throwing objects). It will be a happy ending, I promise! Feedback and Reviews are always appreciated and loved. **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I'm glad you guys don't want to kill me. I was hoping to have this story wrapped up by now but I guess since you guys still like it, I'll continue.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always. **

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_**May 24, 2008 8:30 am**_

I heard the door creak open as I surfaced from the dream I was having. I looked over and saw Troy coming towards the bed I slept on with a grin on his face. He sat down and took my hand in his before he started talking.

"How are you this morning?" Troy asked me as I tried to get the fog out of my mind.

"I'm good, I think. How did I get here?" I asked him looking around Hannah's room.

"You and I were talking out on the swing and you feel asleep. I brought you up here and put you to bed." Troy told me nodding my head.

"Oh that's right. I forgot about that. What are we doing today?" I asked him as I forced myself to sit up.

"I called the gang and told them to be over here at 10 so we can talk to them. Then it's your call." Troy told me as he leaned over and kissed me.

"You won't leave me will you? And after the gang comes, I want to go over to my house and start packing everything up." I told him scooting over to where he was.

"I promised when we were in the hospital yesterday that I wouldn't leave you. And I won't. Are you sure you want to start packing up your house right away?" Troy asked me.

"If I don't do it soon, then I won't have the motivation to do it. Beside I'm just going to pack up Tina and Lucas' things and some of my stuff but that's all." I told him.

"Well I let you get dressed and I will see you downstairs." Troy told me leaning over and kissing me. We heard the door open and Hannah came walking in.

"Mom's looking for you Troy. I think you're in some kind of trouble." Hannah told her older brother as we jumped apart.

"Way to ruin a moment, Hannah." Troy muttered as I laughed at him.

"She needs to get up anyways. Now go so she can recover from your ugly mug." Hannah told her brother pushing him out of the room.

"Thanks Hannah." I told her getting up and making my bed quickly.

"Um . . . Gabi. I'm sorry about your mom. But I'm really glad you decided to come stay with us." Hannah told me.

"Thanks Hannah. I know this hasn't been easy on you and I'm sorry if the twins and I have disrupted your life." I told her as she came and sat down beside me.

"You haven't disrupted my life at all. You're the older sister I always wanted. And now we've got more siblings. But you and Troy can still date; mom and dad agreed to that." Hannah told me grinning.

"Thanks Hannah. If you ever want to talk, let me know. Since I'm now the older sister, you can come and talk to me, all right?" I asked her looking over my shoulder at her.

"I will. Thanks Gabi." Hannah told me leaving the room so I could get dressed.

I picked out capris and a tank top. I quickly got dressed and pulled my hair up into a pony tail and then walked downstairs. I saw the entire Bolton family sitting in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Gabi. How did you sleep?" Jack asked me as I sat down and poured myself some juice.

"I slept well. Thanks. And I've come to a decision." I told Dana and Jack while looking at the two of them.

"What kind of decision is that?" Dana asked me as I calmed my racing heartbeat.

"I've decided that you and Jack can raise Tina and Lucas as your own children. I'm 18 and I'm not ready for two 2 year olds yet." I told them.

"Gabi you're still going to be their sister; we can't change that. Thank you for letting us raise Tina and Lucas as our own." Jack told me.

"You're welcome. I was going to tell you tomorrow but I figured today would be better. Now another favor. I'm going to need some help cleaning out my house. Will you guys help me?" I asked them.

"We can. We were planning on doing that on the 26th after the funeral, if that's ok?" Dana asked me.

"That's fine. I'm going to go over there later on today to gather up a couple of things." I told them looking over a Troy.

"That's fine. And Gabi, don't forget we're here if you need to talk." Jack told me.

"I know and thank you guys again for opening up your house to us." I told them going over and hugging them both.

"You are most welcome, Gabi. You're part of this family now." Dana told me as I nodded my head.

I walked out of the kitchen and walked back up to Hannah's room. I rustled through the suitcase I had packed yesterday afternoon. I was looking for something I knew I threw in there. I grabbed the notebook and headed out to the hammock in the backyard. I eased myself onto the hammock and started to swing back and forth. I opened the notebook and stared at the entry.

_January 4, 2006 7:20 am_

_Well this is the big day. I'm starting school at this new school. East High. Who names a fricken school East High? New Years was 5 days ago and I'm all ready wondering if I will ever see Troy again. I'll admit he was good looking and his voice was amazing. Oh well. Mom's calling so I've got to go so I'm not late. Adios!_

I smiled thinking how happy I was that we had moved again. I hated my old school and was glad to start again at a new one. I flipped a couple of pages until I found the entry I was looking for.

_June 16, 2006 9:00 am _

_Well today's the day. Mom and I are going to pick up our new member's of our family. Mom did the ultimate surprise and surprised me with siblings. A friend of hers was pregnant and wanted to give the babies up for adoption. She called my mom and mom said yes. I have a little brother and sister. They were born June 14, 2006 at 7:38 pm and 7:45 pm. My sister weighed 7 pounds 2.5 ounces and my brother weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces. They are so tiny and I'm so excited to be bringing them home. Mom and I finished the nursery and it's a moon and stars themed. It's so adorable. _

_I've got to go. Mom says it's time. When I come home, I'll have two new siblings._

I smiled as I saw Troy walking towards me. He eased himself onto the hammock and looked at me.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked me wrapping his arms around my small frame.

"I'm going through my journal trying to remember the happier times with my mom. I don't want to be sad because then I'll start to cry. And I want to save all my tears for tomorrow." I told him.

"You know Gabi, you don't always have to be the strong one. Crying isn't a form of weakness. It's a sign of grieving." Troy told me as I tried to hold back tears.

"I don't want to be crying nonstop. I was to enjoy life and I don't want to miserable all the time." I told them.

"It's been only a day since your mom passed away. My parents, our friends, and I don't expect you to be your normal self. We don't expect you to be happy go lucky all the time. I'm not saying cry all the time but if you need to, you can cry in front of all of us." Troy told me.

"I'm scared to cry in front of everyone but especially you." I told him looking at him.

"Why are you scared to crying in front of me?" Troy asked me stroking my cheek.

"I don't want to feel weak to you. I want you to think of me as the girl who is never down." I told him in a whisper.

"Oh Gabi I know you and I know the true person I feel in love with. I know you're going to have your bad days but I'm not going to make you weak. I promise." Troy told me pressing his lips to my forehead.

"It feels like I'm in a bad dream and not going to wake up anytime soon. I feel like I'm a zombie walking around the planet." I told him laying my head on his chest.

"It's ok to feel like that but don't feel like that too much longer. How can I make you feel better?" Troy asked me running his fingers through my hair.

"Just sitting here talking is making it better. Thank you for everything you've done in the past few days." I told him looking up and kissing his lips.

"You are most welcome princess. I'll do anything to take your pain away." Troy told me as we sat in silence and the hammock rocked back and forth.

_**10:00 am**_

I felt someone stir as I opened my eyes. I heard Troy stretch and his hands came to rest of my arms. I looked up and saw his lazy grin grow wider.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Troy asked his voice full of grogginess.

"Yeah I did. I wonder what time it is." I asked him as he looked at his watch.

"It's 10. Our friends should be here soon. Do you want to tell them here or go down to the park?" Troy asked me stretching some more.

"I don't care. Do you think they know all ready?" I asked him yawning.

"I don't think so. The obituary hasn't been in the newspaper yet so I doubt they heard about it." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"I have to make some calls later on. Will you be there when I make them?" I asked him.

"You know I will be. Who do you have to call?" Troy asked me his voice returning to normal.

"Belle and some other relatives. They don't know about mom's death yet." I told him whispering as the back gate opened and all of our friends came in.

Troy and I got out of the hammock and walked over to where they were. Hugs went around and before I knew it, they were all looking at Troy and me like we had some secret party going on.

"Troy called and told us that it was urgent. What's going on?" Taylor asked me.

"We wanted you guys to know before tonight's paper." I told them clearing my throat.

"What's going on, Troy, Gabi?" Sharpay asked us her voice sharing the fear she was feeling.

"Do you want me to tell them, Gabi?" Troy asked me as I nodded my head. I could feel the tears rushing to my eyes.

"Just tell us all ready. Is everyone ok?" Chad asked me as I looked at all of our friends.

Sharpay was holding Zeke's hand; Taylor was holding Chad's; Jason and Kelsi were holding each other's hands and Ryan was just staring at the ground.

"Gabi and her siblings have moved into my house for a while. My parents have taken custody over her younger siblings." Troy started off.

"What's going on? Why would your parents take custody away from Gabi's mom?" Ryan asked Troy and I.

"Just tell them Troy. They deserve to know." I told him gripping his hand.

"After graduation, Gabi and I went out for dinner and just to unwind from the high of graduation. I took Gabi home and everything was fine. Gabi then went upstairs to let her mom know that she was home and she found her mother unconscious and called the ambulance. Gabi's mom was taken to the emergency room which they treated her and said she was going to be fine. On Friday morning, Gabi and I went up to see her mom and the nurse told us that she had died during the night. Gabi's mom died of a massive heart attack." Troy told our friends as I watched the girls get tears in their eyes.

"Oh my God Gabi I'm so sorry." Taylor and Sharpay told me as they came over and gave me a hug.

"Thanks guys. That's why I've been living with Troy the last couple of days. Her funeral is Monday and I would like you guys to be there just to lend me support." I told them looking around. I felt the tears rush down my face.

"I'll be there." Chad told me as I looked at him. Chad and I had always been there for each other.

I gave him a little smile as the others nodded that they would be there also.

"How are you holding up?" Kelsi asked me as I something caught my eyes.

"I'm doing pretty well, I think. I haven't cried much but I have to be strong for my siblings." I told them.

"You don't have to be strong for anyone, Gabi. You can break down those walls and let people see the real you." Sharpay told me.

"I know but I'm not really in the mood to cry yet. It hasn't sunk in that she's really gone yet. In th next couple of days, it's going to and I'm going to be a mess." I told them.

"What time is the funeral on Monday?" Jason asked me quietly.

"It's at 11. It's going to be held at the Baptist church downtown." I told them.

"Have you tried telling Tina and Lucas what happened?" Taylor asked me.

"They're 23 months old. It's almost impossible to get them to understand when I'm leaving and that I'm going to come back. This would set them over the edge." I told them.

"Now what's going to happen? Are you going to be living with Troy through college or what?" Chad asked me.

"I'm still planning on going to the University of New Mexico but I don't know how I'm going to do housing. I'll probably just live here and go to school. I want to be with Tina and Lucas as much as possible." I told them.

"You know you can't raise two 2 year olds while going to school, don't you?" Ryan asked me as I smiled.

"I do and that's why Troy's parents are going to raise Lucas and Tina like their own. So instead of having 4 kids they're going to have 7 kids now. Well I guess I can't be a Bolton because that would be just wrong to date my brother." I told the group as they all laughed.

"So Troy's parents are going to raise Lucas and Tina like their own?" Zeke asked us.

"That's right. I'm just going to be living here and Troy's parents will help me out with anything I need." I told them.

"That's cool. Now what about your house and everything in it?" Sharpay asked me.

"I think I'm going to put the house up for sale and then put everything in the house in a storage bin. Mom's got certain stuff that she had written out that she wants given to certain people but everything else I'm thinking is going in a storage bin until I can go through it." I told them.

"Have you read through the will yet?" Chad asked me grinning.

"I haven't but its being read later on today by my mom's lawyer and I don't know if I'm going to it or not. Can we talk about something else?" I asked them.

"Sure. Want to go get some ice cream and then maybe a walk around the park?" Taylor asked me as I stood up.

"That sounds great. Let's go." I told them as Sharpay, Taylor, Kelsi, and I all linked arms.

We walked out of the backyard and onto the sidewalk. We started to skip and giggle all at the same time. I looked back and saw Troy blow me a kiss. I returned it before the girls pulled me back to them.

_**10:45 pm**_

For some odd reason, I couldn't sleep. I decided instead of waking Hannah up, I went downstairs and sat in the living room. On the table was a photo album. I picked it up and flipped through it. It was the photo album that mom and I had made for Dana and Jack as a Christmas gift. I heard someone walk down the stairs and stand in the doorway.

"What are you doing up? You should be in bed, dreaming sweet dreams." Troy voice pulled me out of a photo.

"Oh I couldn't sleep. So I decided to come make myself sleepy." I told him patting the couch's seat.

"Well you have a busy day tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep." Troy told me as he came and sat beside me.

"I know but I don't want tomorrow to come. I'm afraid of putting mom in the ground and never remembering what she looked like or how she smelt. I'm scared for forgetting my own mother." I told him as tears rushed down my cheeks.

"Hey, Hey you're not going to forget your own mother. You could never do that." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"It's been a day since she passed away and I've all ready forgotten what she smelt like." I told him crying into his chest.

Troy just sat there and let me cry. He ran his fingers through my hair and just said calming words into my ear. I picked up my head and looked at him.

"This is why I don't want you to see me crying. I look like a mess." I told him as he handed me a tissue.

"You look absolutely beautiful. And I don't care if you look like a mess. You're just grieving." Troy told me kissing my forehead.

"Thank you." I told him as I laid my head on his shoulder and took his hand in mine.

"You've got to stop thanking me. I'm your boyfriend and its part of my job description." Troy told me.

"How can I stop forgetting who the person my mom was?" I asked him.

"Tomorrow afternoon we're going over to your house to start getting thing together. We'll grab some of your mom's favorite things and put it in a box. That way when you're feeling sad or missing your mom, you can take these things out and surround yourself with your mom's favorite things." Troy told me as I looked at him.

"That's a good idea. How did you come up with that?" I asked him.

"When my grandpa died, that what we did for my dad. So I figured it would work for you too." Troy told me as I hugged him.

"You're amazing, you know that? I'm glad I'm friends with you and I'm glad we're dating. I don't want anyone else helping me through this except you, our friends, and your family." I told him.

"I'm just glad you're letting me be there for you. I want you to make me a promise." Troy told me squeezing my hand.

"Hm . . what kind of promise is that?" I asked him smiling a little bit.

"If there is a moment that you feel like your slipping or something is wrong, I want you to come to me and tell me. I'll help you through it as best as I can." Troy told me.

"I promise I can do that. I love you." I told him leaning over and kissing him.

"Oh babe, I love you too. Now let's go to bed." Troy told me standing up and pulling me up with him.

Troy and I walked upstairs. He had his arm wrapped around my waist. He stopped in front of Hannah's door.

"Sleep tight, I love you, and if you need me, I'm right next door. Sweet dreams, my love." Troy told me kissing me once again before I placed my hand on the door knob.

"You really are my prince charming, you know that? I love you too." I told him pushing open the door and gently shutting it.

I sent a prayer upstairs and thanked Him for brining Troy and his family into my life. I fell asleep with dreams of our future together.

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**Ok Readers: I need YOUR help! I need ideas on how Troy should propose to Gabi. I know you guys have ideas and I want to hear them.**

**As always, FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS are appreciated and expected! A huge thank you goes out to all my readers who have stuck with me. You know who you are!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy they made me!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

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**_May 25th, 2008 5:45 am_**

I rolled over for the fifth time in the last hour looking at the clock. 5:45 am blinked a couple of times. I groaned, getting off the bed and heading downstairs, careful not to wake anyone else in the house.

I heard towards the kitchen when I saw the TV flickering as if someone was watching it. I walked quietly towards the door and saw Dana sitting there rocking Sarah quietly.

"Hey." I told her sitting down and turning towards the TV.

"Gabi what are you doing up so early?" Dana asked me turning in my direction.

"I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning." I admitted to her smiling.

"You want to talk about it?" Dana asked me flicking the TV off, leaving the room dark. I leaned over and flipped on the light.

"How did you remember your parents?" I asked her looking at her reaction.

"What do you mean by that question?" Dana asked me grinning.

"It's been a couple of days since my mom died and I've all ready forgotten a couple of things about her. I don't remember what she smelt like or how she reacted to certain things." I told her hanging my head down.

"Gabi you don't have to feel ashamed about this. I totally forgot how my mom used to laugh before she died. But how I got through it was I took a couple of things of my parents before my aunts, uncles, and cousins all got in it. I took her perfume, her hairbrush, some of her clothes, her rings and jewelry, and I took other things that reminded me of her. I placed all those things in a box that I kept with me until recently." Dana told me.

"How did you get through the death of your parents? I don't want to rely on you guys for the rest of my life." I told her looking down.

"Gabi we're never going to replace your mom. She's always going to be in your heart. But I got through it with the help of my aunt, uncle, and friends. They were there whenever I needed them." Dana told me.

"I'm just afraid that I'm going to completely forget who my mom was and won't be able to remember when Tina and Lucas get older to start to question." I told her.

"That's where Jack and I come in. The entire Bolton family has been working on a scrapbook for you and your brother and sister. We are going to keep it until Lucas and Tina start to question things. When they do we'll pull this out and tell them about your mom." Dana told me as tears came pouring down my face.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done. You guys have been absolutely amazing through this whole ordeal." I told her leaning over and hugging her.

"You are welcome. You have helped Troy out in so many situations and ways that Jack and I would have never thought of. You have made Troy the happiest person in the world. We just hope that we can make you the Gabi we're use too." Dana told me.

"You are way too sweet. And thank you for talking to me. I'm just worried about the future." I told her.

"Everything will work itself out. Just you wait and see." Dana told me as we flicked the TV on and started to watch the news.

_**10:00 am**_

"Gabi will you go wake up Troy?" Dana asked me from her place at the table.

"Sure I'll be right back." I told her running upstairs and pushing open Troy's door.

I walked over to where the covers were pulled over Troy's body. I carefully pulled the covers back so I could see his head. I started placing kisses all over his face as he pulled me down on top of him.

"Well this is the best good morning I've ever gotten from you mom." I heard Troy say as I tried not to laugh.

"Well I try my boy. Now Gabi's waiting downstairs for you." I told him trying not to laugh.

"Oh but wait, isn't this Gabi? Sorry Gabsters my mom wouldn't place kisses all over my face like that." Troy told me grinning.

"Damn I thought I had you fooled. Well I guess you could use a proper good morning kiss, huh?" I asked him.

"I do need one to wake up properly." Troy told me pulling my head closer to his. We kissed and I lay down next to him.

"So what's on the agenda today babe?" Troy asked me.

"We're going over to my house to gut it all out. And then I don't know. I'm think I'm going to be pretty tired so I might take a nap this afternoon." I told him.

"Hm . . . a nap with my Gabi? That sounds pretty inviting!" Troy told me propping his head up on his hand.

"I don't think so buddy. We're going to nap in separate beds." I told him kissing his pouting lips.

"Aww come on Gabi. I'm not going to do anything." Troy told me trying again to change my mind.

"Sorry Troy. It's not going to happen. Now get up. We have to leave soon." I told him walking downstairs.

"Is he up Gabi?" Dana asked me as I sat down at the table.

"Yeah he's getting dressed right now. I think I'm going to head over to the house." I told them standing up and walking towards the front door.

"Ok Gabi we'll be over in a little bit. Call if you need anything." Jack told me as I nodded my head and walked out the door.

The whole way over to my house, my mind was filled with confusing thoughts. I was scared to be in the house alone and I was scared to death about the funeral tomorrow. Granted I had been to funerals before but not for someone who was as close as my own mother. I was glad Troy was going to be by my side the entire time.

I stopped in front of the house and all the memories from the past 3 years rushed back. Every kiss on the front porch that Troy and I had shared to my mom having talks on the swing to my mom and me giggling about something stupid on the way to the car. I walked quickly up the stairs and pushed open the door.

I walked into the eerie silent house and walked upstairs. I avoided my mom's room and walked into my room. I grabbed the teddy bear that was sitting on the neat bed and just held it close. My mom had gotten me the bear for my 9th birthday because she had to go on a business trip. I had stayed with friends and mom had brought the bear back from New York.

I looked around the room at the various pictures that sat around. There were pictures from Prom, Homecoming, basketball games, and everything in between. I picked up one of the photos that were taken of me and mom sitting on the front porch of the house. Troy had snuck up and taken it while we were laughing.

I walked downstairs to find a shoe box that I knew my mom kept in the hall closet. I grabbed one and headed back upstairs. I cautiously walked into her room and stared at the bed. It was the last place that I saw her really alive. I walked over and lay on the bed for what seemed like eternity. Before I knew it, I was crying so hard that I lost all track of time and where I was. It was the first good cry I had had since mom died.

I felt someone wrap their arms around me and gently rock back and forth. They stayed silent until my cries subdued. I hiccupped a couple of times trying to calm myself down.

"It's going to be all right Gabi." I heard Troy whisper in my ear once I was calmed down.

"You don't know if it's going to be ok. You don't know how it feels to lose your mother! You just don't know. Don't try to pretend, Troy." I yelled at him.

"Gabi of course I don't know. I'm just trying to reassure you." Troy told me calmly.

"You don't know what I'm going through so just stay away." I told him running from the room and running out the front door.

I just ran away from it all. I ran as fast as I could. Tears blurred my vision and I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away from Troy and his perfect life. He didn't need me crying all the time and ruining his life. He had the perfect life. A great family and the greatest friends ever. And what did I have? My sibling and I all are trying to make our lives normal again. My mom dies at 18 and suddenly I get the pity looks and the looks of wishing that never happened to them.

Before I knew it, I was at Baker Park which was right down the street from my house. I sat on a random park bench and thought about my life. Sure I had friends and a family who let me stay with them but I didn't have a mother anymore. She's gone and my life is done with. Who's going to help me get ready for my wedding or help me when I bring my first born home? Who's going to spoil mine and Troy's children? I know I have one set of in-laws but I want my mom around to help me through the little things in life.

I sat there on that park bench, re-examining my life and trying to figure out how I could go on living without my mother. I mean I have a great 'second' family who had taken my siblings and me in without a question asked. I have a great set of friends who will do anything to make me laugh or smile. I had two great siblings who were always going to be there when I needed them. And I had one amazing boyfriend who was always going to love me no matter what.

I got up and decided to walk back to the house. I walked with my head down so nobody would see the tears that I cried. I saw Troy standing on the porch watching me walk up the sidewalk. I walked over to him and immediately wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I'm so sorry baby. I didn't mean to blow up at you. I was mad and you were in the line of fire." I told him titling my head up and looking at him.

"I'm glad you finally released some of that anger even if it was directed at me. Are you feeling better now that you got some of that off your chest?" Troy asked me looking down at me.

"I do feel better. I'm so sorry about yelling at you." I told him leaning up and kissing him.

"It's ok. Like I said I'm just glad you're feeling better. Are you ready to tackle this house with me?" Troy asked me pointing towards the house.

"Let's get this over with." I told him pulling him to the door with me.

We spent the next few hours, gutting out and trying to figure what we were going to move to the Bolton's and what was staying in storage. I went from room to room, picking different things I wanted to keep. In the end, I picked a scarf, a bottle of her favorite perfume, a favorite book of hers, and a couple of other trinkets she loved. I walked down to the kitchen and flipped through her recipe box. That's where Troy found me.

"What are you looking for?" Troy asked me pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I'm looking for my mom's favorite recipe. Want to help me?" I asked him pointing to the recipe box sitting on the counter.

We spent the next few hours, flipping through the recipes. Troy and I shared our favorite memories that we had of my mom while looking at the recipes. I found a couple of my favorites and threw them into the box.

"What else are you going to put in there?" Troy asked me walking into the living room.

"I've got to find a box first and then I'll tell you." I told him going over to the huge bookshelf and looking on the highest shelf.

I found the box I was looking for and walked back over to the couch. I gently lifted the lid and peered inside. Troy came and sat beside me. He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"What's that?" Troy asked me simply as I tossed the lid onto the table.

"It's my mom's private belongs. She always kept her most private things in here." I told him showing him my mom and dad's wedding photo.

"So this is where she kept all the photos of your dad?" Troy asked me.

"There are photos of my mom, dad, me, Tina, and Lucas all in here. I'm looking for a certain photo I knew my mom kept in here." I told him flipping through the photos.

"Is this it?" Troy asked me handing a photo to me.

"That is it. How did you know this is the one I was looking for?" I asked him looking at the photo.

It was a photo of mom, dad, and I laughing at something someone said. I must have been 5 years old in the photo. I was wearing a fancy dress as was my mom.

"Where was this taken?" Troy asked me looking at the photo.

"We were at a wedding for one of my dad's coworkers. Mom and dad decided to take me along with them. That's the last family photo we had taken together." I told him sadly.

"What about this one?" Troy asked me handing another photo to me.

I looked at the photo and smiled. Dad was holding me in his arm with his other arm wrapped around mom. We all had on big smiles on our faces.

"The photographer came around and took this one of the three of us. So I guess this is the last one we had done before he died." I told him throwing the photo into my box.

"Anything else?" Troy asked me as I looked around the room.

"Yeah there should be a yellow envelope lying around here somewhere. Have you seen it?" I asked him getting up and looking on my mom's desk.

"Is this it?" Troy asked me handing me a yellow envelope from the mantel.

"Yeah I think so. Come with me." I told him walking into the kitchen and looking for scissors.

"What's in that envelope?" Troy asked me as I smiled at him.

"Mom decided to have a family photo done a couple of weeks ago and we finally go the prints a couple of days ago. I haven't looked at them but I know they're going to be great." I told him opening the envelope and taking out the stack of photos.

Troy stood behind me as I flipped through the photos. There were ones of just me, Lucas, and Tina; others with the four of us. Tears escaped my eyes while I flipped through the photos.

"She was so proud of you, you know that Gabi?" Troy asked me wrapping his arms around me.

"I know she was. I was so proud of her too. She's an amazing woman and I'm so glad I got to know her for 18 years." I told him choosing some of the photos and throwing them into my box.

"Done now?" Troy asked me as I giggled.

"You are an impatient little man, do you know that?" I asked him as he shook his head.

"I do know that." Troy told me as I leaned over and kissed him.

"Well be patient." I told him walking back up to my room.

"We're going to take these cribs back over to our house. Are you guys going to be ok for a little while?" Jack asked us coming into my room.

"I think we'll be fine for a while. We might come back to the house in a little bit." Troy told his dad.

"Ok we'll be back in a little bit." Jack told us walking down the stairs.

I smiled at Troy from my place on my bed. He came over and started to jump on the bed. I laughed while hitting him.

"Troy stop. You are insane dude!" I told him laughing.

"Only insane for you." Troy told me dropping a kiss on my lips.

"So we're alone in this big house. We could do some things." Troy told me moving his eyebrows up and down.

"Um . . . how about no and say we did?" I told him kissing him.

"Why do you think I'm always talking about sex? Huh?" Troy asked me with a grin.

"Because most guys our age think about it every second. So what did you have in mind?" I asked him.

"I was thinking about making sure there nothing else you want to take with you back to my house." Troy told me turning serious.

"Let's go. Let's start here. Hold on, I've got to find a box." I told him walking downstairs.

I found one and then walked back upstairs. I found Troy flipping through one of my photo albums.

"You were a cute kid." Troy told me grinning as I sat down beside him.

"Thanks, I think. I wasn't that cute of a kid." I told him flipping a couple of pages until I found the photo I was looking for.

"Now that photo totally defines your childhood. You used to play in the mud?" Troy asked me in disbelief.

"Yeah I was a tomboy. I didn't like frilly dresses or any dress in that point. I would be outside from sunup to sundown. Most of the kids I played with were boys. I would play basketball, soccer, baseball, and any sport in between." I told him laughing.

"Wow but you're so much different now." Troy told me looking me over.

"That was my mom's influence. She taught me to love other things besides sports and mud. She taught me how to cook, clean, science, and about boys, which I think she did a pretty good job." I told him leaning over and kissing him.

"Well I think she did an amazing job the past few years. I can't imagine how hard it was to raise a child as a single parent. I hope we never have to do that." Troy told me looking over at me.

"We're never going to have to think about that because what we have, our love is stronger than that. You're as devoted to me as I am to you." I told him laying my head on his shoulder.

"I love you Gabriella." Troy told me while I picked up on him using my full name.

"And I love you Troy." I told him smiling.

We finished up and carried everything we had decided on back to his house. We both walked up to our separate rooms and put the stuff down. I quickly rearranged all the photos that I had grabbed from my house in a corner of Hannah's room. I laid on the bed and prayed for strength and wisdom for tomorrow. I rolled over and quickly fell asleep.

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**Feedback is always appreciated and welcomed! A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who has reviewed in the past. You know who you are and are the reason I continue to post chapters!**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy they made me!**

**I do not know how funerals go so bare with me. I'm just making it up as I go along!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

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**_May 26th, 2008 10:00 am_**

I paced the hallway, my heels gently clicking against the hard wood floors. I was waiting for Troy to come down the stairs. He had left me a few minutes ago to go get ready for the funeral. I looked down at what I had chosen to wear for the day's events. I had on a simple black dress and my hair was pulled back with a black ribbon. I turned when I heard Lucas and Tina come towards me.

"Hey guys. How are you?" I asked them sitting down on the piano bench. I picked Lucas and Tina and placed them on my lap.

"Good. Why dressed up?" Lucas asked me.

"We have to go say goodbye to someone. You guys are going to come with me." I told them.

"Why saying goodbye?" Tina asked me as I looked over at her.

"They died and we have to say goodbye. We're going to put them in the ground." I told them hoping they would in a way understand.

"Oh. Then what are we going to do?" Lucas asked me as I heard someone come down the stairs.

"Then we're going to come back here and everyone is going to come back here to see us." I told them.

"Oh I don't want to go." Tina told me looking at me with her sad eyes. She knew something was going on and didn't like it at all.

"Sorry baby but you have to go with me. You have to keep me happy." I told her.

"Where's momma Gabi?" Lucas asked me as I looked at Troy walking down the stairs.

"Come into the living room with us, Lucas." Troy told us grabbing Tina and walking into the living room.

"Lucas, Tina there's something I've been meaning to tell you." I told them as I grabbed Lucas and placed him on my lap as Troy did the same to Tina.

I saw his parents standing in the doorway and they gave me a reassuring grin.

"Lucas, Tina mom is the one we have to bury. She's the one who died." I told them trying not to cry.

"Died what does that mean?" Lucas asked me.

"That means she's gone forever. We won't see her again." I told them as Troy squeezed my hand.

"Oh. Where live?" Tina asked me as I looked at Jack, Dana, Hannah, Sarah, and Nathan standing in the doorway.

"We're going to live with Troy and his family. Is that ok?" I asked her praying they would be all right.

"That's ok. We are going to be family again?" Lucas asked me as I looked at Jack and Dana.

"We're going to be one big family. Is that ok?" Jack asked coming into the room.

"That's good. Let's go." Lucas told us getting off my lap and running to the door.

I motioned Jack and Dana to go ahead that Troy and I would meet up with them. I wrapped my arms around Troy's shoulders. He pulled me close and just held me while I cried.

"I didn't think they would ask that question until they were older." I told him laying my head on his shoulder.

"You've got two smart siblings, Gabi. I'm sorry you had to answer that." Troy told me pressing his lips to my forehead.

"I just hope they will be all right and deal with it with time." I told him picking my head back up.

"With a sister like you, they will be fine. You'll see." Troy told me as I smiled.

"Thank you. You ready to hit the road?" I asked him.

"Yeah let's go. We're going to take my truck because I know my parents are going to want to leave after the ceremony. That way you and I can come back whenever." Troy told me holding out his hand for me to take.

I walked outside as Troy locked up the house. I walked over to his truck and got in, shutting the door quietly. I watched Troy as he locked the door and then came over to the truck. He got in, started it, and carefully backed out. We drove to the church in silence. After parking the truck, Troy got out and came over to my side of the truck and helped me out. I took his hand as we walked into the church.

I looked around at all the people all ready seated in the pews. I pushed Troy to go sit with his parents as I walked over to my paternal grandmother. She leaned over to give me a hug before I sat down.

"How are you and the twins doing?" Belle asked me my eyes shifting up to where Lucas and Tina were sitting.

"I'm not doing so well; the twins are doing better than I am." I admitted to her.

"It will get better. I promise. So have you decided what you're going to do? My house out in New York is always available if you need to get away." Belle told me.

"I'm living with the Bolton's right now. It was in my mom's will that they raise Lucas and Tina like their own. Troy and I are going to go to the University of New Mexico and live at the house. Probably when we're juniors or so we'll get a place of our own." I told her.

"Sounds like you have a plan. But if you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a call, all right?" Belle asked me giving me another hug.

"I will. You take care of yourself, and I'll keep in touch." I told her smiling.

"I will. Now go sit with your new family." Belle told me patting my hand and then sending me on my way.

I saw a few more relatives that I hadn't seen in a while and talked with them before going and sitting with the Bolton's. I pulled Lucas to my lap as I sat down.

"What did your grandmother want?" Troy whispered as I took a seat.

"She wanted to know how I was doing. She offered me her place anytime I need to get away." I told him.

"That's good. Are you going to keep in touch with her?" Troy asked me.

"I have to. She's my only connection to my dad. My grandmother is my only connection to my mother." I told him.

"Where are your mom's parents?" Troy asked me as I looked around the church.

"I think they're following the casket up." I told him looking in the back of the church and seeing my maternal grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

"There they are all." I told him pointing to the back of the church.

"Who are the other people?" Troy asked me turning his head back to the front of the church.

"My mom's sister, brother and their family. Which means all my cousins will be at your house later on. I'm not looking forward to that." I told him rolling my eyes.

"It will be fun to see you interact with your cousins." Troy told me causing me to cringe.

"Me interact with my cousins? Please. It's going to be torture because I'm the youngest out of all of them. They think I'm too stuck up." I told him rolling my eyes.

"Keep the eye rolling to a minimum, Gabi." Troy whispered to me as I giggled.

"I'll try to. I might need your help later on." I told him as I watched the casket roll up the aisle.

"Doing what?" Troy whispered holding my hand and squeezing it every now and then.

"Planning my escape route." I told him grinning and turning to the priest in the front of the church.

The service went on and before I knew it, I was crying like a baby. I couldn't believe me at 18 burying my mother who was barely 42 years of age.

"Do you want to go say something?" Troy asked me as he took Lucas from my lap.

I walked up to the front and stood at the podium. I looked at the people who sat in front of me.

"My mother was one of the greatest people I had the pleasure of being around. She wasn't like every other mother. She let me have my freedom but she placed boundaries that were appropriate to me. We were more like best friends than mother/daughter. We would stay up until midnight talking, usually about my love life and what was going on in school or with friends." I started before taking a deep breath.

"She's a person you can't easily forget. She one that is going to stay with you for eternity. Anyone who spent five minute with my mom could tell many things just by the way she act. My mother was immensely proud of me and my siblings. She was proud of her friends and everything they had accomplished. She was a hard working person who spread a little cheer when anyone was done. Anna Maria Montez, you will be sorely missed by your friends, family, and anyone who ever knew you. I will keep a candle burning in the window for you." I said as I walked to the casket and gently kissed the hard wood.

After kissing the casket, I walked back to where I was sitting and took Tina on my lap and gently kissed her and Lucas's foreheads.

I sat there and listened to the rest of the service before watching the casket being pushed back down the aisle and being loaded into the hearse.

I sat there staring at the front of the church until I felt Troy touch my shoulder. I turned around and looked at him.

"Are you ready to go?" Troy whispered to my as I stood up and placed Tina on my hip.

"Sure let's go." I told him lacing my fingers with him. We walked down the aisle ready to face the burial. I stopped by a table which there was several different colors of carnations. I grabbed 5 of them and walked out of the church.

Troy and I walked over to his parents' car and I quickly strapped Tina into her car seat. Troy and I walked over to where our friends were standing and hugs were quickly exchanged.

"Gabi what you said was beautiful. I'm proud of you for going up there and talking." Chad whispered in my ear as he hugged me.

"That was the hardest thing I think I will ever have to do." I whispered back.

"Remember the hardest things make you stronger." Chad told me as he pulled back and as I nodded my head.

"Thank you guys for coming. I really appreciate it." I told the 7 faces as I looked around.

"There's no other place we would rather be than right here by your side." Taylor told me as I nodded my head.

"There are a couple of places I would rather be but I'm glad you guys are here to help me get through this." I told them.

"What's going on after the burial?" Kelsi asked me as I turned to Troy.

"Troy's parents are inviting everyone back to their house. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents will be there. But I might need your help." I told them giggling at the thought.

"And what would that be?" Jason asked me as I shook my head at them.

"I'm going to need to plan an escape route. I'm not going to be around my cousins so I need to get out of the house." I told them.

"Why don't you want to be around your cousins?" Sharpay asked me.

"You know how you used to be with you being all bitchy and all that?" I asked her as she grinned.

"With my attitude and all that?" Sharpay asked me as I nodded my head.

"Yeah well my cousins are ten times worse than that. They think they are all better than me because they live in upstate New York and in Massachusetts." I told them.

"Well we're going to have to show them a lesson or two!" Sharpay told me.

"They're all older than me. It's not going to be pretty." I told them.

"We'll deal. Besides we should probably get to the cemetery before the ceremony starts." Troy told us as we all broke off promising to meet later.

I climbed into Troy's truck as he started to drive. I had a song stuck in my head which I started to hum. Troy knew what I was humming and started to sing.

_Cause you had a bad day _

_You're taking one down _

_You sing a sad song just to turn it around _

_You say you don't know _

_You tell me don't lie _

_You work at a smile and you go for a ride _

_You had a bad day _

_The camera don't lie _

_You're coming back down and you really don't mind _

_You had a bad day_

"Thank you." I told Troy simply as he pulled into the drive of the cemetery.

"For what? I just sang what you were humming." Troy told me parking the truck along the grass.

"That song has been stuck in my head a couple of days now. I think that's what's helping me through." I told him climbing out of the car and walking over to where Dana and Jack were.

"Which one do you want?" Dana asked me giving me a reassuring smile.

"I'll take Lucas. Troy could you hold Tina?" I asked him as I grabbed Lucas from Dana's arms.

Troy took Tina from his mom's other arm before walking with me to where my mom was going to be buried. We went and sat down in the chairs that were provided. I bounced my leg up and down trying to calm my nerves and keep Lucas calm.

Troy grabbed my hand and held it through the ceremony. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked back and saw Chad standing behind me. I put my extra hand on his and gave it a squeeze.

The priest came to the front and started to read a bible verse that was very familiar to me.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Man started out as ashes and one day must return to ashes. Some people are called too early in life and others go at the right time. Anna Montez went too early but our lives are better because she was in them. If you have flowers, please come up one at a time and drop them on top of the casket." The priest said before turning around and walking away from the casket.

I picked up two of the carnations and walked over to the casket. I placed them gently on the top of red roses all ready on the casket. I pulled one of the roses out and walked back to my seat.

Troy pulled me close as I sat down. I knew this would be the hardest part of the whole ordeal. I felt the tears flow down my face as I watched the men lower the casket. I heard people start to leave as the casket continued going deeper and deeper into the ground.

I stood up, still with Lucas in my arms and walked over to the hole in the ground.

"Could I have a minute alone, please?" I asked the grounds men as they nodded.

I just stood there trying to gather my thoughts. I felt Lucas give me a hug as I just stared down at the hole.

"Well this is time for goodbye, mom. I know you're not really gone because you'll always been in my heart. I love you and I'm so happy you were my mom for 18 years. I'll teach Lucas and Tina everything about you and I'll even show them how to make your killer Mexican dishes. I love you and I'll never forget." I told her walking away and caught up to where Troy was.

We walked hand in hand out of the cemetery and walked towards the Bolton's car. I handed Lucas over to Dana and then Troy and I walked over to his truck. I got in and laid my head on the glass as Troy started to drive. I didn't pay attention to where he was going.

It wasn't until he pulled into a parking lot did I notice where we were. I smiled as he pulled into the drive through and started to give our order.

"Yes hi can I get a large strawberry shake and a large chocolate shake?" Troy asked as I shook my head at him.

"Please drive forward." The lady said as Troy pulled forwards and turned to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked him smiling faintly.

"I've always heard that you can get a woman to smile if you buy her ice cream and I'm trying that theory out." Troy told me.

"I'll be sure to let you know if it works." I told him as the lady handed us our shakes.

Troy started to drive again and I just sat there sipping my shake. I noticed him glancing over at me every couple of seconds.

"Troy I promise I'm fine. I'm just a little sad." I told him taking another sip of my shake.

"It's ok to be sad and you don't have to be the strong one every time. I just want you to give me one of your killer smiles so I can tell everyone the theory worked." Troy told me showing off his pearly whites.

"Ok fine. I guess I could do it for you." I told him smiling like I had before the whole situation happened.

"Thank you Gabi. You just made me the happiest man alive." Troy told me leaning over and giving me a kiss.

"And I just got a taste of your chocolate shake." I told him grinning.

"There's the smile that melts my heart everything you show it. I'm glad you're back, Gabi." Troy told me.

"I'm not 100 back yet but give it time and I will be." I told him taking another sip of my shake.

"Time is the one thing we have enough of to make it last." Troy told me as I leaned over and kissed him again.

"Hm . . . your strawberry shake is pretty good. Wanna trade?" Troy asked me.

"Nah Chocolate isn't my thing. Beside I've gotten enough chocolate from you." I told him grinning.

"And you will continue to get chocolate for the rest of your life." Troy told me.

"Hey Troy. Thank you for everything you've done the last few days. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't by my side." I told him glancing over at him.

"There's no place I would rather be. You are quite welcome, my dear." Troy told me as he started to the truck back up.

We drove back to the house, me mentally preparing myself for my family and Troy preparing himself to deal with me. We stood out in the driveway for what seemed like forever until I got up the nerve to go in. I knew I would be ok because I had my soul mate by my side.

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**To let you know how much I get into my stories, I'm sitting here crying right now. Feedback and Review are welcome, appreciated, and expected! ENJOY!**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy they made me!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always!**

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**_May 26th, 2008 2:00 pm_**

I looked at Troy and then grabbed his outstretched hand. He gave me a reassuring squeeze as we walked up the front porch.

"You ready to go face everyone?" Troy asked me quietly as I took another sip of my shake.

"Yeah but first I have to tell you something." I said looking at him and smiling.

"What's that? You seem really excited about this." Troy said giving me a grin.

"Your theory worked. It seems if you buy women ice cream they smile more." I told him leaning over and kissing him.

"I'm glad it worked, especially for you. I hate not seeing you smile." Troy told me quietly.

"Ok now I'm ready to go in and face everyone." I said walking up the front steps and into the house that had quickly became my own.

I walked past the living room where a bunch of my relatives were. I then walked into the kitchen were I giggled at the sight. Dana and my mom's mom were in a deep conversation and Jack and one of my uncles were laughing about something. I gave Troy a look before going into the backyard.

When we got out to the backyard, I had to laugh at the sight. Troy and mine friends were in one area and my cousins were in another. I walked over to our friends laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sharpay asked me as I calmed myself down.

"Are you guys afraid of my cousins? Because it looks like you are." I told them.

"No we just don't like them. From everything you've told us, we just don't like them." Chad told me.

"Ugh you guys are weird." I said walking over to my cousins and seeing what they were doing.

"Hello my darling cousins." I told them putting on the fakest smile I've ever done.

"About time you get here Gabriella. Where have you been?" My oldest cousin, Mallory, asked me.

"Hm . . . I do have a life out here in Albuquerque." I said smiling sweetly.

"Wow that's got to be a first. You never use to have a life in anywhere else." My youngest cousin, Tom told me.

"How about you shut your mouth? Wow now I knew why I hated being around you guys." I said walking back over to my friends.

"Wait Gabriella, you never said where you were?" Matt, another cousin, asked me.

"I was out with my boyfriend. Happy now?" I asked before throwing a glance over my shoulder.

"Which one are you dating?" Gwen, another one of my annoying cousins, asked.

"The brown hair blue eye cutie." I told them walking over to Troy and giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"What was that all about?" Troy asked after I pulled back.

"My cousins were being annoying so I had to get away from them. Have you guys come up with an escape plan?" I asked them.

"Not really. There's no way to get out of here safely." Troy told me as I gave him a look.

"I'll be back. Meet me in the front." I told them walking into the backdoor of the house.

I walked into the kitchen and my grandma, my mom's mom, caught my eye. I walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"How are you doing Gabriella?" Amy, my maternal grandmother asked me.

"I'm doing ok, I think." I told her as she gave me a hug.

"You think? You're surrounded by friends and from what I can tell a great adoptive family." Amy told me.

"All right I'm doing better than I was a few days ago." I said to my grandmother.

"That's good. Did you know your mom asked me to come out here in a few weeks to spend some time with you guys?" Amy asked me.

"I didn't know that. Have you met my siblings yet?" I asked her smiling.

"No I haven't but I would like too." Amy told me as we walked through the hallway and up the stairs.

"Come with me and I'll introduce you to them." I told her walking into Sarah and Tina's room.

"This is Sarah Bolton and this is Tina Montez." I said to my grandmother looking at her face.

"Your mother adopted children?" Amy asked me in disbelief.

"Tina and Lucas have been with us since they've been born. They'll be two in June." I told her.

"Who's Lucas?" Amy asked me as we walked out of their room and into Lucas and Nathan's.

"Lucas is Tina's twin brother. This is Lucas and my boyfriend's brother, Nathan. Sarah and Nathan are twins." I told her.

"Wait how does your boyfriend fit into this equation?" Amy asked me laughing.

"Dana and Jack, the people you were talking to downstairs, are my boyfriend's parents. I'm living in the same house with him." I told her smiling.

"Where is this boyfriend? I would him to pass the grandmother's test." Amy asked me as I shook my head.

"Be nice grandmother. I have one other person for you to meet." I told her walking into mine and Hannah's room.

"Hannah this is my mom's mom, Amy. Grandmother, this is my boyfriend's younger sister, Hannah. She's also one of my adoptive sisters." I said to Amy smiling.

"It's very nice to meet you, Hannah. Are you keeping Gabriella in line?" Amy asked Hannah.

"I try but sometimes it's so exhausting." Hannah said to my grandmother laughing.

"Ain't that the truth? It was very nice to meet you, Hannah." Amy told her as we left the room.

"Now where grandmother?" I asked walking down the stairs and facing the living room.

"I want to meet this boyfriend of yours." Amy told me grinning.

"All right I guess I could introduce him to you." I told her walking out the front door and seeing all of my friends.

"About time you got here Gabi! Did you get lost?" Taylor asked me grinning.

"No I didn't get lost. I introduced my grandmother to the kids. Now she wants to meet my boyfriend." I told them grinning.

"So which one of you is my Gabi's boyfriend?" My grandmother asked my friends.

"Grandmother you are going to embarrass me. Hold on and I'll introduce him to you." I told her walking over to Troy and leaning close to him.

"Don't kill me yet. I promised she could meet you." I told him walking him over to my grandmother.

"Grandma, this is Troy Bolton, my boyfriend. Troy, this is Amy Davis, my mom's mom." I said to the two.

"Are you treating my Gabi the right way?" Amy asked Troy as I grinned.

"Ma'am I wouldn't be here if I didn't treat Gabi the right way." Troy said to my grandmother.

"Gabi will call me if you ever treat her the wrong way." Amy threatened Troy.

"Grandmother be nice." I said in a warning tone.

"Gabriella I am being nice here. I'm just making sure Troy knows what will happen if he treats you badly." Grandma told me.

"He knows grandmother. You don't have to threaten him one bit. He gets enough of it from his parents and our friends." I told her laughing.

"Good. Now you guys go and have some fun." Grandmother said handing me some money.

"Thanks grandmother. We'll hang out later on?" I asked her grinning.

"Sure dear. We'll hang later." My grandmother said as I walked over to my friends.

"Grandmother's funding this afternoon." I told them as we started to walk down the sidewalk.

We hung out that afternoon downtown Albuquerque just hanging out and chilling. We went and saw a movie and then went out to dinner, before going back to the Bolton household. Most of my family was gone so we said goodbye to our friends and Troy and I sat down on our famous swing.

"Today's been a world win adventure." I said laying my head on Troy's shoulder.

"It has been. How are you feeling?" Troy asked me playing with my rings on my fingers.

"I'm pretty good right now. It's sunk in that mom's gone and she won't be here anymore but I just have to remember that she's in my heart and that's where she'll stay." I told him sighing in contentment.

"She'll always be in your heart. You just have to remember that." Troy told me as someone pushed open the screen door.

"I thought I heard someone out here talking." Amy said to us as I smiled.

"Yeah we usually do this after one of our dates." I told my grandmother.

"I feel like I don't really know you, Gabi." Amy told me as I smiled at her.

"I'm an average 18 year old surrounded by her good friends and a great family. I'm going to start college at UNM in the fall and pursue a degree in physical therapy." I told her smiling.

"You are going to be an amazing woman someday." Amy told me as I smiled.

"Thank you for that." I said getting up and going over to give her a hug.

"So Grandmother Amy, I have a question to ask you." Troy asked my grandmother.

"What's that Troy?" Amy asked Troy as I grinned at him.

"I would like to ask your permission to ask your granddaughter to marry me sometime in the future." Troy asked my grandmother as I grinned at him.

"Aren't you guys too young to get married?" Amy asked the two of us.

"I'm going to ask her sometime but we won't get married until we're older." Troy told my grandmother as I grinned.

"Then yes you guys have my permission. Hey Gabi did your mom know about this?" Amy asked me.

"Oh yeah she knew. She knew that Troy is going to ask me sometime. I told him he had to wait until we were in college because I didn't want to be engaged in high school." I told my grandmother laughing.

"Well Troy you need to get on the ball and ask her all ready." Amy said as we both grinned.

"She's got to wait her turn. I'm not going to ask her yet because she's expecting it." Troy told my grandmother and I grinning.

The three of us spent the rest of the night outside talking and catching up on what was going on.

_**August 25, 2008 8:00 am**_

Today is the first day of college and to say it lightly, I'm pretty nervous. I dressed in a jean skirt, a nice shirt, with my orange coat thrown over the top of it. I looked myself over and then walked downstairs.

"Aww my two babies are going off to college." Dana told Troy and I as we walked into the kitchen.

"Mom we'll be back later on in the afternoon. We'll tell you all about our day." Troy said to his mother.

"I know. I just can't believe you're starting college. It seems like yesterday that you just started kindergarten and now you're off to college." Dana told us as she started to get tears in her eyes.

"Mom stop while you ahead." Troy told her as someone rang the doorbell.

"I wonder who that could be this early in the morning." Troy said as I looked at him.

"I don't know. Why don't you go open the door and find out?" I asked Troy.

"I think the door is going to be for the lady of the household." Troy said while looking at me.

"Go open the door, Gabi." Dana told me as I walked into the foyer.

I opened the door and saw a man holding a huge vase of pink and coral roses. I smiled as I leaned against the door frame.

"Is there a Gabriella Montez here?" The man asked as I grinned in response.

"I'm Gabriella Montez." I told him as he handed me the roses.

"There's a note in the middle of the roses. Enjoy." The man told me as I gently closed the door.

I placed the roses down on top of the piano and quickly found the note. I gently opened it and looked inside. I smiled as I read the words.

_Gabriella, _

_We've been going out for 3 years now. I know we just celebrated our anniversary but I would like to take you out on a special date, just the two of us. Would you do me the honor and go out with me tomorrow night at 6 in the evening? _

_Your loving boyfriend, _

_Troy _

I turned around and saw Troy grinning at me. I ran and quickly jumped into his waiting arms. I kissed him reply.

"Yes I will go out with you tomorrow night. What's the dress code?" I asked him.

"Your dress will be delivered to you tomorrow morning. You can have the girls get you ready if you would like. I'll come to your room to pick you up at 6 tomorrow night." Troy told me.

"I love you, I really do." I told him kissing him again.

"Now come on or we'll be late." Troy told me as we both walked out the door.

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**The next chapter is the chapter you'll been waiting for. The engagement will be in the next chapter! Feedback and reviews are appreciated, welcomed, and wanted!**


	35. Chapter 35

**_A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy they made me!_**

**_Disclaimer: Same as always!_**

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**_August 26th, 2008 6:00 pm_**

I threw open the box that was sitting on my bed and gasped at the dress. It was a tea length dress with a bow that rested on my waist. I quickly put it on and looked deeper inside the box. There was a velvet box sitting there with an envelope. I picked the box up and tore open the envelope.

_Gabi,_

_This bracelet and earring were my grandmother's. I asked my mom if you could wear them tonight. She said yes. If you look deeper in the box, you will find a necklace that matches the bracelet and earrings. I'll see you in a little while._

_Love, _

_Your adorable hunk! _

I giggled as I read what he signed the note as. I quickly put the bracelet and earring in. Then I looked deeper into the box and found the necklace Troy was talking about. I put that on, my eyes drifting over to the clock. I was right on schedule. I heard a knock on the door as I slid into my heels.

"Hey Gabi, Troy's downstairs waiting for you. Oh my! Don't you look beautiful?" Dana told me poking her head into the room.

"Thanks Dana. Your son really knows how to pick out a dress for his date." I said grinning.

"Well he knows what dress will look good on you. Now don't keep the man waiting any longer." Dana told me as I grinned.

"How about you go down and I'll be down in a minute. I've got to throw some things in my purse." I told her shutting the door.

I walked over to the box making sure I didn't forget anything. I saw a note lying in the bottom with the words "_Save for later_" written on the front. I gently placed the envelope in my purse before walking downstairs.

I walked downstairs to see everyone sitting in the living room. I giggled at Troy's shocked face as he stood up and walked over to the stairs.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Gabi. Are you ready to go?" Troy asked me slipping a red rose corsage on my left wrist.

"You look really good yourself and yes I am ready to go." I said as I accepting his out reached arm.

"Mom, dad we'll be back later. Don't wait up for us." Troy told his parents as we walked out of the door.

"So where are we going?" I asked quietly as we Troy opened his truck door for me.

"It's kind of a surprise tonight. I'm not going to spoil it for you." Troy told me grinning.

"I guess I can be patient and wait until you want me to know where we are going." I said looking out the window.

It seemed like we were in the car forever yet we were only in there for a few minutes. I sighed happily as Troy pulled up to the familiar house.

"So are you going to tell me why we keep coming back to this house?" I asked opening my door and climbing out.

"I thought you liked this old house." Troy told me as he walked over to where I was standing.

"I love this old house but you never told me the history behind it." I said walking up to the door.

"This is my grandparents' old house. My dad didn't have the heart to sell it so now we keep it up." Troy told me as I smiled.

"That's cool. So are we going to go in or stay out here all night long?" I asked him grinning.

"We are going to go in and have some dinner before we have to move onto other places." Troy told me opening the door and allowing me to go in first.

"Which way am I going?" I asked Troy as he came up beside me and took my hand in his.

"We are going this way." Troy told me leading me to the biggest kitchen I've ever seen.

"I've never been in here before." I said looking around the kitchen with amazement.

"Well there's a first time for everything. Right this way, darlin'." Troy told me grinning.

Troy pulled out my chair and pushed it in as I sat down. He sat down as we looked at our salads. I grinned at him and took his outstretch hand as we started to eat.

"So what does this special night hold for the two of us?" I asked him finishing my salad.

"You will have to wait and see, babe. I'm not giving away all the secrets in one night." Troy told me grinning.

"So let me try this, what's on the menu for tonight?" I asked him smiling.

"Well we've got a little of this and a little of that. We're not having a huge dinner tonight." Troy told me putting the salad plates in the sink and grabbing some more plates from the oven.

"Watch out, they're hot." Troy told me setting the plate down gently.

I looked on the plate and saw a little bit of pasta, some chicken, and green beans, my favorite. I grinned up at Troy when I noticed all of my favorites.

"You remembered all of my favorites." I told him grinning.

"I try my best. You like?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.

"I love it. Thank you so much." I told him leaning over and giving him a kiss.

"Well the night is young, my love. Eat up and we'll head over to our second destination." Troy told me as I started to eat.

The rest of the meal was quiet but Troy and I kept grinning at each other.

"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked me for the second time that night.

"Yeah I am. Are you sure you don't want to give up any hint to where we are going?" I asked him.

"I'm positive I don't want to give any hints. Time will tell and you'll be surprised." Troy told me.

"All right. I guess I can be patient for a while." I told him smiling my sweet smile.

We walked hand in hand out of the old house and walked back to the truck. Troy opened my door for me before jogging over to his side. He jumped in and we were off to a destination unknown to me.

"Don't try to analyze anything. Just go with the flow, Gabi." Troy told me as he started to drive.

He turned down some streets that I had never heard of before. I just laid my head against the cold window and just sighed to myself. Troy picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze. I just grinned at him.

"We're here." Troy announced a few seconds later. He got out and came around to open my door. He offered me his hand as I got out of the truck.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him walking among the rows of grave markers.

"We'll I've been coming here a lot lately and I promised your mom that we would stop by tonight so she could see your dress. I told her that I picked it out all by myself." Troy told me proudly as we stopped at my mom's grave.

"Hey mom. I'm sorry I didn't bring you any flowers. Troy forgot to mention that we were coming here. School started yesterday and classes went great, for the most part. I've got a 70 year old professor who looks like Alan Greenspan. It's going to be a great year with him." I told her standing next to Troy.

"Hey Anna. I told you she would look wonderful in her dress. The dress is a knee length. I know you approve of that because it's long enough." Troy told her as I laughed.

"Tina and Lucas are doing fine mom. I'm giving them another year before they start to really ask questions. Tina has become a little diva and likes to throw her weight around. Lucas is a heart breaker and all ready knows how to turn on the charm. He's going to be a ladies man when he grows up. I'm going to have to warn the teachers' when he enters kindergarten. I'm doing fine, for the most part. Lucas, Tina, and the Bolton family are keeping me busy. We're all right mom. Just keep watching over us and we'll be even better." I told her as Troy wrapped his arms around me.

"Anna we have to go now but we'll be back in the next couple of days. We love you girl!" Troy said as I threw back my head and laughed.

"I can't believe you just told my mother that." I told him shaking my head.

"Well I just did so you're going to have to get over it." Troy told me sticking his tongue out.

"You are so mature. We love you mom and I'll be back in a couple of days." I told her smiling and walking away from the grave.

Troy and I walked back to the truck, hand in hand and not saying a word. Troy opened my door without a word and quickly got in on his side. As Troy turned on the truck, I glanced at the clock. The clock read 8:30 pm.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I told him quietly as Troy started to drive again.

"You my princess are most welcome." Troy told me taking his eyes off the road for a moment.

I just relaxed into the seat and put my head back. Troy grabbed my hand and held it until I felt the truck come to a stop. I picked my head up and my eyes went wide when I noticed where we were.

"Don't ask questions, just come along." Troy told me as he opened my door for me.

I grabbed his outstretched hand and walked along with him. My heels gently clicked as we walked up to the huge building. Troy threw open the door as we went inside.

"Why are we at East High at 8:30 at night?" I asked quietly as we walked the halls of our old high school.

"I said no questions. You can't even follow simple directions, can you Gabi?" Troy asked shaking his head.

"I can when I want to but it was just a general question." I told him in my defense.

"Ok but you have to be blind folded from this point on." Troy told me coming up behind me.

"Do I really have to?" I asked him stomping my foot on the ground.

"Do you trust me?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.

"With my life." I replied as he slipped the blind fold over my eyes.

"Then you'll be ok. I promise." Troy told me as I heard a door open and then Troy grabbing my hands.

"Don't make me fall." I told him as I heard a giggle.

"I won't make you fall. You are going to feel like you're going downhill. It's going to be ok." Troy coaxed me as I started to walk.

"I don't like this at all Troy Douglas." I said grinning at the words I had just said.

"Well it's almost over. I'm going to pick you up now so you don't fall." Troy told me as he put his arm under my neck and legs and picked me up.

He held me for a moment as I bounced up and down. I giggled as he put me back down on my feet.

"Can the blindfold come off yet?" I asked him as he steadied me so I wouldn't fall.

"I guess I could take it off. But you must keep your eyes shut until I tell you to open them." Troy told me as I felt him untie the blind fold.

"Ok you can open your eyes now." Troy told me as my eyes adjusted to the black room.

"Ok there's a black room. I could get used to this." I told him as I heard someone flick on some lights.

It took me a minute to realize where we were. I grinned as I looked over at Troy.

"Are we in the East High theatre?" I asked him as I turned and looked at him.

"You are right my dear. Why don't you look around a little bit?" Troy asked me as I grinned.

My eyes went immediately to the ground where there were red, pink, coral, and white roses scattered around. My eyes then went over to where there was a piano and the 'sacred bench' sitting across from the piano. Troy came up behind me and led me over to the bench. We sat down before Troy started to talk.

"Three years ago, you came to my little town and you changed my life. I never thought one person could do that to another but you did. From the moment I that met you and every moment after that, somehow everything that happened to me kept coming back to you." Troy told me as I grinned at him.

"Well you changed my life too." I told him as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"I remember every little moment we've shared. From the singing at the ski lodge to our first day of school to our first date and even to present day, I've never forgotten anything we've done together. Every memory from the past three years I have thought about, they all have one common theme. You are in all of my memories." Troy told me as I smiled.

"I love you. I know it now and I'll know it always. You're it, Gabi. You're my one." Troy told me.

"I am?" I asked him as tears came to my eyes and started to drip down my cheek.

"You always have been." Troy told me as he wiped my tears away with his thumb.

"Now I sit here, grinning at you like a mad man, and I have one simple question to ask you. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife? Will you marry me, Gabriella?" Troy asked me while getting down on his knee.

"Yes I will make you the happiest man alive and marry you." I told him as he pulled me up and gave me the most passionate kiss ever.

"I love you. I really do." Troy told me as he picked me up and spun me around.

"I love you too." Troy told me as he noticed something.

"Oh I do have a ring for you." Troy told me as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.

"Here's your ring." Troy told me slipping on a 1/4 karat princess cut ring.

"I love it. I really do." I told him pressing my lips to his and loosing myself in his kiss.

We pulled back when we heard people start to clap. I looked at Troy with a strange look on my face.

"Who is all here?" I whispered to Troy as the lights came up.

"I kind of invited our friends and family so we wouldn't have to explain what happened a million times." Troy told me as his parents and our friends rushed to the stage.

"Good thinking buddy." I told him giving him a kiss.

"You're engaged girl! I can't believe it!" Taylor and Sharpay told me rushing over to me and looking at the ring.

I grinned at them, my hand being tugged in all directions. I laughed at the girls and how they wish they were engaged like me.

"My baby's getting married." Dana told us coming over to hug Troy and I.

"Mom we're not getting married for a while. We probably won't get married until we're done with college." Troy told his mom.

"I know but you're engaged. And that's good enough for me." Dana told us.

"Hey Gabi can I talk to you for a minute?" Jack asked me as we walked away from our group of friends.

"I just wanted to welcome you officially to our family. You've always been a part of the family but now you're going to become Dana and mine daughter-in-law." Jack told me as I looked at him.

"Thank you. I'm starting to feel a part of your family." I told him.

"Well now you are. I just wanted to tell you that." Jack told me as he gave me a hug.

"Thank you very much." I told him as we walked back over to our little group.

We stayed there for ever just talking and everyone came to Troy and I to congratulate us. I smiled when I saw Troy and Chad talking by themselves I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around Troy's waist.

"Hey you two. What are you two talking about?" I asked them grinning.

"I'm just telling Troy that's he's going to be a married man pretty soon." Chad told me as I grinned.

"Chad we're not getting married for a couple of years. He can still go out with the guys for a couple of years before we're married." I told him.

"Watch it man, when they marry, they get worse than they are now as a girlfriend." Chad told him as I laughed.

"You better make sure Taylor isn't listening." I told him walking off.

We stayed there and just hung out before going back to the house. Troy and I slow danced on the porch for an hour before going into the house and going up to bed. I feel asleep happily to be an engaged woman to the man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.

* * *

**Ok guys. I'm going to start a new story but I need your help. Should I skip a few years right to the wedding or should I just skip a year and show the process of them planning the wedding? It'll be up to you guys. REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK are appreciated and wanted!**


	36. NEXT STORY INFORMATION

I totally forgot to give credit to Everwood (the show) for parts of Troy's speech in the last chapter.

I just wanted to let you guys know that the new story is going to be called "_**Because You Live**_" so look for it in the next few days!

A HUGE THANK YOU GOES OUT TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED IN THE PAST! YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST!


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